A New Life
by Thomas Mc
Summary: Catherine and Vincent have settled into their new lives as a married couple but life is never simple when balancing work, home, friends, and the tunnel community while trying to keep a really big secret.
1. The Adventure

**A New Life_  
_**_by Thomas Mc_

* * *

_Authors Note: Catherine and Vincent have settled into their new lives as a married couple but life is never simple when balancing work, home, friends, and the tunnel community while trying to keep a really big secret. (As always reviews and comments are welcome.)_

* * *

**Part 1 : The Adventure**

It was a warm sunny, late July, afternoon and Geoffrey was with his two crewmates, Billy and Henry. They were moving as quietly as they could through the dense island jungle, trying to avoid the band of murderous, cutthroat, mutineers. Henry was leading them along the river's edge to a secret place where the treasure was hidden. The cliffs on the other side of the river were hundreds of feet high and riddled with caves. All three kept their eyes on those caves less some dangerous creature catch them unawares. Suddenly Henry stopped and pointed to a deep cleft in the side of the cliffs and called out in a loud whisper. "Hey guys come over here quick."

The other two joined Henry crouched in a drainage culvert. "Look they're boosting a car," He informed them.

In the alley across the street from the park were four men. One was sitting behind the wheel of a blue Mustang facing away from them. Two of the men were apparently keeping watch up and down the street. A fourth man was working with a slim-jim on a green Cadillac. He soon had the car open. One of the lookouts got into the Cadillac and the other got into the Mustang. A few seconds later, the Cadillac started up and both vehicles took off up the alley away from the park.

A couple of minutes later a middle-aged man came out and frantically looked around. He started yelling and stomping around for a minute then he went back inside.

Billy looked at the other two. "Wow. They boosted that car so fast." He screwed up his face trying to dredge up some memory. "I think I've seen one of those guy's before." He looked at the others, a bit uncertain. "Should we tell somebody?"

Henry spoke up. "Naw. You don't know who they are. Let's get out of here before the police show up."

"Yes, we'd better go," Geoffrey added nervously. The last thing those Below wanted was for him to get involved with the police. He had no way of identifying the culprits anyway but it still bothered him that he couldn't do anything about the theft.

The three companions headed deeper into the park once again dodging through the jungle to avoid Long John Silver and his pirate mutineers. Meanwhile a police cruiser came up the street and stopped at the apartment building to be met by a very unhappy middle-aged man.

~ BB ~

Around noon Joe came over to Catherine's desk. "How's it going, Radcliffe? Shake anything loose on the baby case?" he sat on the corner of her desk.

"Nothing new." Catherine shook her head. "I've shaken every tree, rattled every informant and questioned every contact I have and nothing's fallen loose on it." She frowned. "If there is an organized operation, it's buried so deep that no one can find it. I really don't think there **is** anything to find."

"I hate to keep pushing like this, but ever since that damn TV news show did that piece on black market babies in New York, the higher up's have been hounding me to do something about it." Joe shrugged. "And you know what they say about you-know-what rolling down hill. They push me to find out, so I push you."

Catherine frowned up at him. "Is it one of the requirements of your job to give me a hard time?"

Joe smiled. "No, just one of the perks."

"I thought so, and you enjoy it way too much." Catherine thought about what had so far been a fruitless inquiry. "Really, Joe, I don't think the situation is as wide spread or as organized as that article made it seem. An occasional incident, maybe, but the few I have dug up were isolated cases, and half of those were innocent errors on the part of the participants, and bad advice from incompetent lawyers."

Joe shrugged. "Well, write up a report for me on your findings and conclusions, for the record, and pass a copy on to Jackson in Public Relations." Joe dismissed the matter as settled and went on with other business. "What about that Davis matter?"

"I've got the statements of the Aunt and Uncle. It corroborates the statements of the cousin." She grabbed a folder from a stack of pending cases. "I've contacted C.P.S. and I think we can wrap this one up fairly quickly." She glanced at the contents of the folder. "I've already started the ball rolling on an indictment and, as soon as I finish up that baby thing for you, I'll start work on the brief. I should be ready to file with the court by Monday."

"That's fine, Radcliffe. By the way, good work on that Haldeman case. If you hadn't found that witness, we might have prosecuted. We could have ruined Mrs. Haldeman's life only to end up looking really bad when the truth finally came out." Joe smiled at her. "You deserve a gold star for that one."

"Thanks." Her eyes flashed with humor. "Do I get a cookie, too."

"Don't push your luck." Joe laughed as he stood up. "Next you'll be asking for a raise." With a smile and a chuckle, Joe walked away.

Joe walked back to his desk, happy. The Higher-up's minds would be put at ease about the black market baby non-scandal. And, just as important, the reputation of a good woman would not be smeared. Mrs. Haldeman was lucky that the District Attorney's office had someone like Cathy on staff. One thing Joe could always count on. If Cathy said there was nothing to a case, he could bet the bank on it. She was just as diligent when it came to exonerating the innocent as she was about going after the guilty. She had even reamed out a couple of detectives one time for bringing her a case full of holes after she found an unimpeachable witness for the defense.

~ BB ~

It was the end of the day and Catherine was still deep in the paperwork for her latest case. At least the black market baby case report had already been completed and turned in. She had even couched it in terminology that left the DA office an out if something did turn up. She had started putting everything away as she prepared to quit for the day, when she was interrupted by Joe as he passed by her desk ranting to himself. "What's up, Joe?" she asked, her curiosity peaked.

"Another three cars stolen," Joe complained to a very tired Catherine as she prepared to leave. "I don't suppose you've heard anything useful?" Joe asked her.

A rash of car thefts and hijackings had hit the city over the last four weeks and every one was taking heat. She knew about the situation but was not involved in the case. Though she no longer worked as an investigator, Catherine still had a habit of finding information and witnesses that others couldn't. Joe had come to rely on her when his cases began to stall out.

Catherine shook her head. "I'm afraid I haven't heard anything, Joe," she replied. "What happened now?"

"City councilman Harrison had his brand new Caddie stolen from his apartment at around three this afternoon. He's mad as hell and demanding action," Joe complained. "Everyone is feeling the pressure. These guys are very slick and they have left nothing behind."

"If I hear anything I'll let you know." Catherine told him as she headed for the elevator.

"Sure thing Radcliffe." Joe responded. "You just keep **yourself** out of trouble." He called as she stepped into the elevator.

It was still rush hour so rather than taking a cab, Catherine ran into the building across the street and down into the utility tunnels under the city. From there she entered a hidden access to the deeper, older, unused tunnels that honeycombed the bedrock under the city. She thought to herself that maybe she should see if Mouse could arrange an entrance from her work then thought better of it. Too many potential problems. Forty-five minutes later, she emerged into the ground floor parlor of her own brownstone. There she was met by Vincent who enfolded her in his arms and welcomed her home. Catherine and Vincent ascended the spiral stairs arm in arm. They entered the bedroom where she changed out of her business clothes.

While she was changing, they told each other about their day. Vincent talked about the goings on in the tunnels and Catherine told Vincent about the rash of car thefts and the hassles it was causing for Joe and the police. Vincent said that tomorrow he would spread the word among the helpers to be on the lookout for anything useful. Catherine also told him that the witness he had found had definitely helped prevent what could have been a tragedy in the Haldeman case.

Once she had changed, they went back downstairs to the kitchen and began preparing for dinner. It was such a prosaic domestic activity but, for both of them, it was heaven because they were doing it together, as a couple, in their own home.

Late that evening after going over some depositions from the previous day, Catherine finally climbed into bed. Vincent rolled over as she snuggled up against him. As she lay there with him pressed up against her back, his arm around her and his hand cupped against her breast, she could feel his love flowing to her through the link they shared and she returned it in kind. Over the last several months, she had become almost as adept at sensing his emotions as he was at sensing hers. She sighed. Life was so sweet now. She felt contentment envelop her as she drifted off to sleep.

~ BB ~

It was early in the day and Space Cadets Geoffrey, Billy and Henry were exploring a strange new planet that was full of dangerous plants and animals. Their last communication from the starship had indicated a possible village might be located somewhere up ahead. As they crouched behind what they hoped was a non-poisonous alien bush they watched a large reddish and black predatory beast up ahead that was coming fast in their direction. The beast stopped next to one of the silvery trees with the colorful glowing fruit on top. It stood there sampling the air and growling. A second bluish beast came up behind it.

Suddenly two men jumped out of the blue Mustang, ran forward and yanked open the drivers door of the red Ferrari. A short vicious battle ensued leaving the driver of the Ferrari lying in the street bruised and bloody. The two men jumped into the red car then both cars roared off at a high rate of speed and disappeared around the next corner.

Geoffrey jumped up and, calling to his friends, ran out to the injured man. "Mister how bad are you hurt." Geoffrey asked as he reached the injured man. Billy and Henry both arrived as the injured man looked up at them, tried to speak, then passed out. Geoffrey looked up at his friends. "Billy, go to that building and get someone to call the police. And hurry." Despite being the youngest of the three, Geoffrey had already taken control of the situation. Billy ran to the office building Geoffrey had indicated. "Henry, I need you to stand there and keep an eye on traffic. Make sure any other cars know that we're here." Responding to Geoffrey's self possessed tone, Henry positioned himself as indicated.

The guard at the front desk called out as Billy came running in. "Hold on there boy. This is a place of business. You can't go running around in here."

Billy ran up to the desk. "There's a man hurt out front at the corner. They beat him up and stole his car. Ya gotta call the police." Billy leaned against the desk. The guard immediately picked up the phone and dialed. As he made the report, he quizzed Billy for details and repeated them to the phone.

Finally, he hung up the phone. "The police and ambulance will be here in just a few minutes, son."

"Thanks mister." Billy called as he turned and sprinted back out the door before the guard could ask him anything else.

Geoffrey began carefully checking out the unconscious man, being as thorough as he could, which was better than most people were capable of. Father had always made sure that all of the tunnel children were reasonably proficient at basic first aid by the time they were eight. Vincent had always made sure that the children learned how to be responsible and self-reliant and how to keep a cool head in an emergency. All of these skills were necessary for children that lived and played in the tunnel system that made up Geoffrey's home. Geoffrey had always had an innate talent for anything medical so he had gone much further than the other children. Father always said that he would grow up to be a doctor or a con man. He still wasn't sure which.

Three different cars passed by the two boys and the unconscious man without stopping. Shortly after Billy entered the building, a dark green sedan pulled up behind them and stopped. The driver got out. "Hey, what are you kids . . ." Then he noticed the unconscious man on the ground that the younger of the two boys was carefully checking over. He watched in fascination as the boy examined the unconscious man. The thing that surprised him the most was how carefully and professionally the young boy was checking for injuries. Being an emergency room doctor, he easily recognized the skill and competence of the boy's examination technique. The young boy reluctantly pulled off his outer tunic and used it to stanch the bleeding from the back of the mans head.

Once he finished Geoffrey looked up at Henry and the new arrival. "Bruises, lots of minor cuts and scrapes with some bleeding. Broken nose, simple break in the small bone of the left leg, cracked his head on the pavement and got a concussion, no sign of shock." Geoffrey nodded his head. "He's stable but unconscious and he should be OK once the ambulance gets here." He, carefully, laid the injured man's head on a clean area of his old tunic to cushion it.

Two seconds later Billy ran up and skidded to a halt. "I got the guard to call the police."

Geoffrey looked over at Billy. "Good. We have to get out of here." Then he looked at the man that had just arrived. "Hey, mister can you stay and watch over this guy till the police get here?"

The man stared at Geoffrey for a moment then replied. "Ah, sure. I can look after him." He reached into his car and turned on the emergency flashers.

Geoffrey stood up. "Thanks mister. And please, don't move him till the ambulance gets here." Then he turned to his friends. "We gotta go guys. Now." Then he ran off into the park closely followed by his two friends.

As the three boys disappeared into the park the doctor realized belatedly that he should have gotten their names. He had been so fascinated, watching that youngest boy tend to the victim that he hadn't thought of it.

As they were running, Henry spoke. "That's the same four guys that boosted that car yesterday." He gasped for breath. "This time I remembered where I saw that familiar guy's face. He lives in the apartment building next to ours.

Billy spoke up. "I saw the Mustang's license number."

Henry added. "We gotta go home." And, grabbing Billy, started dragging him toward their apartment building.

After they were out of sight, Geoffrey headed for the nearest access to his underground home. His adventure in the park had become uncomfortably real today.

The doctor watched the three kids disappear into the park then bent down to check the injured man. The youngest boy's report on the man's condition had been quite accurate. As soon as the police and ambulance arrived, he identified himself and gave the paramedics his report. Then he gave a complete report of what he knew and saw to the police officer while the injured man was loaded into the ambulance. The police officer wrote down the doctor's statement and took his name and address. After giving his statement, the doctor got back into his car and followed the ambulance to the hospital.

The Officer went into the office building and took down the front desk guard's statement. Afterwards he went to every office that faced the street but no one there admitted to seeing anything.

As soon as Geoffrey reached the tunnel community, he headed straight to Father's chamber. There he found Father and Vincent pouring over some diagrams of the tunnels where they were planning a new expansion project. He gave Vincent and Father a complete account of the car jacking that had just happened and about the car theft he and his friends had witnessed yesterday.

~ BB ~

Catherine was a little late getting home that evening. She had stopped of at Dr. Peter Alcott's office so he could take a new blood and tissue sample. Peter had begun running tests to find out if Catherine and Vincent might be reproductively compatible. There were some differences in their biochemistry but so far all of his tests had proved inconclusive. He was now trying to study it from a genetics viewpoint but he wasn't really sure if that would be any more successful. After exchanging a little gossip and small talk, Catherine headed home.

As Catherine entered her home that evening, she called out, "I'm home," as Vincent walked into the parlor.

"How was your day?" Vincent asked.

Catherine replied, "More of the same. However, there was one very interesting report. It seems there was another car jacking today that was witnessed by three young boys. According to the report from an emergency room doctor, that happened along right after the attack, the youngest boy was dressed like a street urchin but he was very intelligent and extremely good at first-aid. The boy had already assessed the injured mans condition so accurately that he thoroughly impressed the doctor. The victim vaguely remembers a young street kid followed by two older kids running up to help him, before he passed out." She paused watching Vincent. "That kind of sounds, to me, like a description of one of the children from Below."

Vincent responded. "That youngest boy was Geoffrey. He told me all about it."

Catherine grinned. "Yea, I thought it sounded a lot like him. After dinner, I'm going to go down to talk to him. See if he has any information that can help me."

Geoffrey came out from the kitchen with a sandwich in one hand and a soda in the other as Vincent responded with a smile. "I thought you might want to."

Geoffrey told Catherine everything he remembered about what had happened. Catherine got the names and addresses of the other two boys. Then she praised Geoffrey for his competent handling of the situation, his skill in helping the victim and his prompt reporting of the incident to Vincent.

Geoffrey flushed with pleasure at Catherine's praise.

~ BB ~

As soon as Catherine arrived at work the next morning, she poked her head into Joe's office just long enough to tell him that she might have a lead on the car thefts by this afternoon. Then she dropped a few things at her desk and went right back out again.

Joe merely shook his head. That girl never ceased to amaze.

The two boys lived on the same floor in an apartment building that was located five blocks from the park. Less exclusive than Central Park West, but still reasonably well off. The building had an occupied front desk where Catherine identified herself and the apartment she wished to visit. She chose Billy's parents to see first and the woman occupying the desk called up and announced her as Catherine Chandler to see Mr. or Mrs. Parker.

Catherine was greeted at the apartment door by Mary Parker, the very curious mother of young Billy. She had heard of Catherine Chandler the beautiful heiress from the tabloids. She wondered what Catherine might want with her.

Catherine began by introducing herself. That's when Mary remembered reading some articles about Catherine going to work at the District Attorney's office.

Catherine continued. I'm not here in an official capacity right now. I would like to come in and speak to Billy for a few minutes, if it's okay with you."

Mary looked worried. "Is there any problem?"

"Not as far as I'm concerned," Catherine replied, "Actually I've only heard good things about Billy."

Mary led Catherine to Billy's room. The first thing Catherine noticed was all the Spiderman posters on his walls, then she noticed Billy on his bed, looking up from the comic he had been reading.

Mary spoke first. "Billy, this is Miss Chandler of the D.A.'s office. She says that she wishes to talk to you."

Catherine definitely had Billy's attention as he wondered worriedly what kind of trouble he was in. Seeing the worried look on his face, Catherine decided it would be best dive right in, the sooner to relieve them both of any fear that he might be in trouble.

"Billy, I was informed that you witnessed a carjacking just inside the park yesterday morning." She stated.

Billy looked at his mother who nodded then he responded, "Yea, I saw it."

Catherine continued. "First, I wanted to tell you that the man they attacked, is okay thanks to you and your friends. Also the man at the front desk was very impressed at the way you handled yourself when you reported it to the police." By now Billy was beaming with relief and pleasure that he was being complimented rather than chastised. "The reason I am here is to see if you can give me any more information. A description, any details you might have noticed would be helpful."

Billy gave as complete a description of the event as he could. Catherine was particularly pleased when he was able to give her the number of the Mustang's license plate. Catherine wrote down all the usable details and thanked Billy and his mother.

As she closed her notebook. She watched them as she asked. "Would you be willing to come to the police station with me, after I've talked to Henry, to try to ID the carjackers?" Before they could answer she continued. "Right now everything, where you're concerned, is unofficial and the information you gave me would be listed as from an anonymous source. You will have no further involvement. If, however, you do come with me to try to ID the criminals, then you will become officially involved as a witness."

Mary thought a moment then replied, "I'm inclined to allow it but I would like to call and talk to my husband first before we decided."

Catherine nodded, "That is actually a good idea. It would be best if you and your husband could both be there with him. A police station is not the most relaxing environment and having you both there will make it a lot less fearful experience for Billy." Catherine stood up. "I have to go see Henry and his parents next. I could check back with you afterwards."

Mary said, "That would be fine."

After that Catherine went down the hall to Henry's apartment. Both of Henry's parents, Jay and Irene Thompson, were home. Catherine used the same technique with Henry with good results. Henry was able to identify the apartment that the carjacker, he had recognized, lived in. When everyone was ready to go, Catherine was informed that Billy's father, Peter, would meet them at the police station.

~ BB ~

Between the license plate, the neighbors location and the mug shots, they were able to identify all four of the car thieves. Joe had arrest warrants sworn out on all four men.

"Congratulations Radcliffe." Joe was obviously very happy. "I don't know how you managed to do it. What about that third kid the doctor mentioned?"

Catherine shook her head. "None of the others know the boy's last name or where he lives." Strictly speaking, that was the literal truth.

Joe shrugged his shoulders. "Doesn't really matter, the two you found are more than enough to get an indictment. The doctor though says he would like to talk with that youngest boy."

Catherine replied, "I know. He apparently thinks that kid would make a great doctor."

~ o ~

When Catherine got home, she reported the results of her interview with the other two boys and their parents to Vincent. "We were able to ID all four of the car thieves." She smiled. "Fortunately the parents of both boys believe in doing the right thing and they want to teach that to their children. So we are getting full cooperation from both of them. Geoffrey and his friends did very well. Next time you see him tell him I said so."

Vincent replied. "I'll be sure to tell him. He'll appreciate the compliment, especially coming from you."

Catherine continued, "Oh, also, the emergency room doctor that stopped at the car jacking site, wants to find the missing third kid because he thinks Geoffrey could become a fine doctor. He said that he wants to help that young man get a proper education then sponsor him to a good medical school when he's old enough. I told him that I would let him know if that kid turns up."

Vincent thought about it for a minute. "It might turn into a useful contact for Geoffrey if he does decide to go into medicine, though Peter has already stated that he would sponsor Geoffrey to any medical school he wanted to go to, if he needs it."

Vincent paused then grinned as he picked up an envelope from the stack of mail on the parlor coffee table. "We got a letter in the mail from Brigit O'Donnell today." Vincent held it out to her. Together they opened and read it.

- - x - -

_Dearest Catherine and Vincent,_

_I am going to be coming through New York in  
two weeks on a book tour and I will try to call  
you when I get in . I would also love to get  
together with you and Vincent while there.  
Vincent appeared so natural that Halloween  
night I met him that , sometimes late at night,  
I find myself wondering if that might really  
have been Vincent and not just a costume he  
wore to the party. I would dearly love to see  
Vincent again while I'm there and find out for  
sure. See you in two Weeks._

_- - Love Brigit_

- - x - -

Catherine turned to Vincent. "Well, what do you think?" She looked Vincent up and down, taking in the totality of his unique self, and smiled with a hint of mischief in her eyes. "It might be very interesting to see her reaction to you." Catherine cocked her head as she waved the letter at him. "Should we invite her over and see what happens?"

Vincent thought about it. "One thing is certain. If we invite her over, there will be no way of hiding our secret from her. No Halloween to cover my appearance." Then he smiled and shrugged. "But then if we don't meet her, she will suspect that there is something up."

Catherine laughed. "You do have a point there."

He gave her one of his lopsided, what the heck, smiles that she saw so seldom and found so endearing. "I think we should invite her over and let the chips fall where they may. Besides, I think she could handle the reality of what I am. Writers, especially fantasy writers, usually tend to have very flexible minds." Vincent grinned at her, his fangs clearly showing. "It will certainly make for an interesting evening."

Catherine marveled at how much more open Vincent had become, in the last year, to letting select people see him. He was a lot less sensitive about his appearance and to peoples reaction to him. She suspected that the reactions of Jenny, Nancy and Diana, had a lot to do with it.

Even Elliot had handled their first face to face encounter well. And though Victoria had screamed and tried to run away the first time she saw him, she had quickly become very fond of him. Elliot and Victoria had both been over to visit once since that first early morning encounter in the park.

That evening Catherine sent off a letter to Brigit. Vincent was very amused at the way Catherine worded it.

- - x - -

_Dear Brigit,_

_We would both love to see you while you are  
here in town. Let us know when you're going  
to be free and maybe we can have you over for  
dinner. One warning though. Be careful  
what you wish for, you might just get it. We  
are both looking forward to seeing you again._

_ - - Love Catherine & Vincent_

- - x - -

That night they talked about the last time they had seen Brigit and speculated about what their next meeting in two weeks might be like. Vincent mentioned that Father would also enjoy meeting Brigit. Catherine suggested that they would have to try to arrange it.

~ BB ~

Around noon the next day, Joe walked up to Catherine's desk. "Good news Radcliffe. The police picked up two of the car thieves this morning." Joe grinned at her. "The higher ups are very happy with you right now." Then he chuckled. "Especially since they recovered the Councilman's car." Joe gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Keep up the good work kid." Then he headed back to his office.

Joe smiled to himself as he sat down at his desk. Sometimes he was amazed how much his attitude had changed where Catherine Chandler was concerned. When she first came to work there he had assumed that she was just another spoiled rich kid looking for something meaningful and with no idea what she was getting into. He had thrown her into investigations expecting her to give up and go running back to daddy before the end of the month. Now he had come to rely heavily on her dedication and her ability to achieve the impossible. He had just today gone out of his way to insure that she got proper credit for finding those witnesses and busting open this case.

~ BB ~

Three days later Joe came over to Catherine's desk with a middle-aged man in tow. "Hey, Radcliffe, just thought you would like to know that they caught the other two car thieves." Then he turned to the middle-aged man. "Councilman Harrison, this is Catherine Chandler, the one I was telling you about. She's the one who found the two young witnesses and broke the car theft case." Joe looked at Catherine. "Cathy, this is Councilman Jeff Harrison."

Catherine reached out and shook his hand. "It's an honor to meet you, Councilman."

"I'm the one who's honored." The Councilman replied smoothly. "From what Joe tells me, you are a major asset to the District Attorney's Office." Then he frowned. "But why did he call you Radcliffe?"

Catherine chuckled. "That is the very exclusive college where I took pre-law." Her eyes were dancing as she looked at Joe. "I'm afraid Joe had a rather low opinion of my potential when I first applied here. Rich kid playing at being civic minded or something like that. Radcliffe was originally a term of disparagement."

Joe laughed. "That's putting it mildly. But she sure put me in my place **very** quickly."

Catherine smiled back. "That's what happens when you underestimate us debutantes." She chuckled. "Now-a-days if he doesn't tease me about Radcliffe, it means I'm in trouble."

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you." the Councilman replied as Joe led him away. As he continued the VIP tour of the DA's office, the Councilman asked. "That's really **the** Catherine Chandler?"

"That's her." Joe replied.

"But she's so small. I heard that she took out three very large armed men all by herself in an elevator and she was totally unarmed at the time." Councilman Harrison glanced back at Catherine to reassure himself that she had not altered in any way. She was already back at work on whatever case she had been dealing with before Joe had introduced the Councilman.

"Well, except that only one of the three men was actually armed, the facts of the incident are essentially correct." Joe grinned. "There was nobody else in that elevator but her and the three thugs. Keep in mind, though, that the man with the gun was a trained FBI agent." Joe shrugged. "I'm thoroughly convinced that any man that is foolish enough to try going one-on-one with her would get his clock cleaned. She can be tough as nails when necessary, yet she has the sweetest, most generous nature of anyone I've ever met. And she gets results." Joe chuckled. "Being very beautiful, very rich and a minor celebrity, does seem to open a lot of doors for her that the rest of us mere mortals can't even approach." Joe shook his head. "And my sources tell me, she is known and respected among the street people."

Harrison frowned. "Don't I remember something about her being the victim of a vicious mugging and mutilation some years ago?"

"Yes, that's her." Joe got very serious. "She disappeared for ten days then turned up with her face all stitched up and no memory of those missing days. The attackers snatched her right off the street. They beat the crap out of her, breaking three ribs and sliced up her face and stabbed her in the side. Then they dumped her in Central Park. All we found was her purse and some blood stains. We think that someone found her, fixed her up as best they could then dropped her off at her apartment once she was healed enough. Whoever it was probably saved her life. Once she was back, some very expensive plastic surgeons repaired most of the damage to her face. They did a pretty good job. She looks almost exactly like she did before the attack."

Harrison paused. "What do you mean almost? She looks perfect."

Joe replied. "They're not obvious unless you know where to look but there are two scars that they couldn't fix. One is just in front of and below the left ear. I've heard that there is a second one but I don't know where it is."

Harrison smiled at Joe. "She sounds too good to be true."

Joe laughed. "I'm constantly telling myself that."

Changing the subject Harrison asked. "What about those car thieves? How do things stand there?"

Joe replied. "Because of their previous records and the violent nature of the car jacking, we were able to prevent them from getting bail. Those four are caught in a ringer and I'm going to squeeze them till they gave up the rest of the car theft ring."

"That's good. Those carjackings were really causing a lot of trouble in my district." Again he switched subjects. "Oh by the way, I saw the report on the black market baby investigation. Very thorough, very good work. It really helped to put a lot of important people's minds at ease."

Joe chuckled. "That also was some of Cathy's work. When she looks into something, no stone is left undisturbed. If there had been anything there, it would have crawled out and she would have found it." Joe chuckled again. "I lost the best investigator I ever had when she switched to the domestic trials division. At least she doesn't get attacked by thugs in elevator's anymore."

~ BB ~

Catherine had just arrived home from work and was in Vincent's arms receiving a warm welcome home, when the phone rang. She looked over and glared at the offending instrument. "Spoil sport," she muttered as Vincent released her to answer it.

"Chandler's residence." . . .

"Elliot? This is a surprise." . . .

Catherine listened for a long time. First she registered _curiosity_, then _pleasure_, then _surprise_, and finally _thoughtful contemplation_.

"Oh, and how is that?" . . .

Catherine laughed.

"I think I can help you out. What about her parents?" . . .

"Oh, I understand. Let me discuss it with Vincent and see what he thinks." . . .

"I'll get back to you when we've come up with something." . . .

Catherine hung up the phone and turned to Vincent with a very thoughtful look on her face. Vincent stood there brimming with curiosity as he waited for her to speak.

Finally she spoke. "That was Elliot Burch." She paused. "He and Victoria have decided that they want to get married." She looked down, shook her head and gave one short soft laugh. Then she looked up at Vincent. "They want a very quiet, simple wedding without the type of media circus that would inevitably form around his marriage. They just want you and me as witnesses and a minister. Since her parents are getting old and are not well enough to make the trip to New York, she wants you to give the bride away and me to be maid of honor. Elliot said that you were the closest thing he had to a real friend, all he really has is lots of business acquaintances, and it was you that arranged for him and Victoria to meet, even if it was unintentional. So, he would like you to be his best man." She looked at Vincent speculatively.

Vincent took time to absorb and ponder over what Catherine had just told him. Finally he asked, "Did he say where and when?"

"No," Catherine replied. "He said he would leave that up to us, if we decided to help him. Neither one of them want a lot of media attention during their wedding and honeymoon. Victoria says it's your fault they're in this pickle."

"Oh." Was Vincent's only response to that.

"Vicky said that if you hadn't scared her that morning in the park, she wouldn't have run into Elliot and they wouldn't have fallen for each other and they wouldn't be having to find a way to get married without a media circus." Catherine laughed. "I guess she's got us there."

Vincent laughed. "I guess that means we are obligated to help them then." He put his arms around her. "And I know you do still care about him and want him to be happy." He gave her a little hug. "Why don't you invite them over for dinner next week and we will see what we can come up with." He looked into her eyes. "Now, where were we before that phone rang?"

**_Continued in Part 2_**

_( rev 130529 )_

* * *

'_**Beauty and the Beast'**__ and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given._


	2. The Big News

**A New Life_  
_**_by Thomas Mc_

* * *

**Part 2 : The Big News**

So far, Thursday was turning out to be an exceptionally warm August day and Catherine was definitely feeling the heat more than usual. She was in Joe's office with the two teenage witnesses Billy and Henry and their parents discussing their upcoming testimony in the series of car thefts that had been plaguing the area. Catherine was hoping to keep Geoffrey out of it. There would be too many unanswerable questions to deal with if he came forward. It was much simpler to just not be able to find him. Fortunately, these two teenagers were willing to testify with their parent's approval. They went over last minute details to make sure the kids and their parents knew what to expect and what was expected of them when the trials started next Monday. Catherine told them to just tell the truth and only relate what they actually saw with their own eyes and they would be fine.

As the kids and their parents exited the office, Catherine gathered up her documents. Joe sighed. "It's a shame we couldn't locate that third kid, but I think the testimony of those two will be more than sufficient to put these four men away. I still cannot figure out how you do it. The police spend weeks trying to crack this case and you pop-up with those two witnesses out of nowhere two days after I mention it to you."

Catherine smiled. "Just luck I guess. And a large network of friends." She just didn't mention that the network was mostly a community hidden deep beneath the city and that it was the missing third witness that had led her to the other two.

"Being a minor celebrity doesn't hurt ether. It probably makes it a lot easier to get people to talk to you." Joe gave her a critically appraising look. "Sometimes I wonder how you can be who you are and still manage to stay out of the public eye. Especially with all the mystery that surrounds your private life. Either you are the dullest person in the world, which I know not to be true, or you should give lessons on how to keep your private life private." Then with a sly grin, Joe dropped his bombshell. "By the way Radcliffe, Am I ever going to meet your special guy."

With the smoothness of long practice, she answered. "What ever do you mean, Joe?"

"The guy attached to the other end of that ring you're wearing." He pointed to her wedding ring.

Catherine glanced down, surprised to discover that the ring was on her left had. She usually switched her wedding ring over to her other hand when in the office but this morning she had been distracted. First there had been a message on her phone about the black market babies non-case that wouldn't die. Then she had found a new child abuse case on her desk as soon as she got into work. Finally there was the meeting with the two witnesses in the car theft case. On top of that she and Vincent had gone to sleep very late last night, which left her happy but a little tired. As a result, she had forgotten to switch her ring over.

She sat there looking at it trying to think up a reply when Joe continued. "I know you put up a good front for the office but I've suspected you had something going on for a while now." Joe leaned back in his office chair. "Let's look at the evidence." He held up one finger. "You always have that ring on but only since April." He held up a second finger, "I often see you playing with the ring like it has some special significance." A third finger came up, "Your wearing it on your wedding finger today, which I can see you had not realize till now." He held up a fourth finger, "That dreamy look you have on your face when you think no one is watching, lately accompanied by absent mindedly turning that ring on your finger." The thumb came out, "My sister has been exhibiting those very same symptoms ever since she got married last year." Joe shrugged. "Well except for moving the ring to the wrong hand." Joe leaned forward wiggling the fingers he had raised while ticking off the evidence. "I would say, based on the evidence, that last April you got married to some big shot politician or foreign prince that doesn't want anyone to know."

Catherine hid her face in her hands as she fought to keep her voice under control. "You've got me, Joe. I'm secretly married to the prince of England and he wants to keep it secret for political reasons." Then she looked up and grinned. "You won't give us away, will you? I'd hate to have you tossed into the tower of London."

"I'll figure you out yet Radcliffe." Joe waved towards his door. "Away with you, I have work to do." Joe grinned to himself. She played the game well but he was pretty sure he had landed one really close this time, possibly even dead on target. He would lay ten to one odds that she was secretly married since the end of April. He had considered throwing out the name Vincent to see her reaction but decided to save that for later.

When Catherine stood up, she paused wobbled a bit then suddenly sat back down shaking her head, a slightly glazed look in her eyes.

Joe jumped up and came around his desk very worried. "Are you OK Radcliffe?" Some of the color had definitely drained from her face.

" I'm . . . I'm OK. Just felt a little dizzy there for a minute." She stood up a little more carefully. "I'm fine now. Just got up too fast after sitting too long." She grinned and headed out the door.

Joe smiled to himself when he saw her shift the ring to the other hand after she got outside his office. The air of mystery that surrounded her fascinated him. What he did know was that she was very rich, she was an invaluable asset to the DA's office, she probably had a secret lover. . .'husband?', and that someone named Vincent was very important to her. Joe was personally very fond of Catherine and felt very protective of her. At one time he had even entertained a romantic interest but that had not lasted long. Now he was dating Diana Bennett, though he didn't really expect it to go beyond the good friends stage. Catherine had now become like a very dear little sister to him, even though she was older than he was by a few years. Joe's own younger sister had even begun to tease him about his 'other sister' lately. He also really enjoyed their little guessing games. He would add up all the inconsistent clues about her and come up with whatever explanation fit the facts, usually something pretty outrageous, and then she would hide her face in her hands, admit to it and make some equally outrageous threat if he were to tell anyone. Sometimes, like today, he would get a reaction, usually well covered when she hid her face in her hands, which told him something he'd said had scored a hit. Unfortunately, that only seemed to deepen the mystery. Well, whatever her secrets were, trying to figure her out did make for an interesting hobby. Nothing intrigued him more than a perplexing mystery.

As Catherine moved her ring to the other hand after leaving Joe's office, she thought it was a bit too late now. She was sure Joe would probably see it as confirmation, but she did not want the whole office to start speculating. Joe had come frighteningly close with his speculations this time. The trouble with Joe was that he was a very smart and perceptive man, also he cared about her and she liked him, which made it that much harder to hide things from him.

Catherine knew that she had just come very close to passing out in Joe's office so when she got back to her desk, she quickly scanned back through her desk calendar. It couldn't be, could it? Then she called Dr. Alcott and made an appointment for the next morning.

As Catherine was getting ready to leave work, she told Joe that she had a doctor's appointment and would be a little bit late getting in tomorrow morning. A worried look crossed Joe's face, but he just said, "OK. See you tomorrow."

As Joe got ready to go home he could not help worrying that Catherine's little dizzy spell might be more serious than she had let on. He decided that he would keep a close eye on her for the next few days. Just to make sure she was OK.

~ BB ~

Sitting in his waiting room, Catherine was anxiously anticipating her turn to see Peter. The nurse came out and called Catherine's name then escorted her to one of the examination rooms. Dr. Peter Alcott entered the room and greeted her warmly asking how she was doing.

"Well, life with Vincent is wonderful." Then she grinned. "And I think I've just missed my last two periods." She shrugged. "Mine are so irregular it's very hard to tell for sure. The last few days I've felt a little nauseous when I first get up. And yesterday at the office I felt like I was going to pass out for a moment."

"That sounds very interesting. What say we take a little look see and find out what is going on." He proceeded to give her a general medical exam while discussing the latest goings on with mutual friends, both Above and Below. Finally crossing his arms and smiling at her, he announced. "Physically, your in excellent shape." he nodded his head. "I think that a pregnancy test is definitely called for." He began preparing the necessary equipment.

After the amenities were concluded, Peter smiled and patted her shoulder. "I should have a definitive answer for you before the end of next week. Otherwise, as I said, you appear to be in very good health." He patted the tray with the samples. "And don't worry; I'll be very discrete about the tests."

~ BB ~

It had been four days since her visit to Dr. Alcott's office last Friday and for a Tuesday, work had gone relatively smoothly. The first two days of preliminary hearings on the car theft cases had also gone well. Vincent was upstairs in the library reading and Catherine was standing behind him with her arms around him quizzing him about his pizza preferences. Pizza was just one of the many new things Catherine had introduced him to since they had first met. Catherine had begun nuzzling his ear when they were interrupted by the phone ringing.

Catherine sighed. "It never fails." She walked over and picked it up.

"Hello, Chandler residence." . . .

They had both taken to referring to the brownstone as the Chandler residence and Vincent's two room chambers Below as the Wells residence. They also used the same terminology for themselves. Above they were the Chandlers, and Below they were the Wells'. This originated as a joke but it also became a way to avoid any slips that might generate uncomfortable questions.

Catherine's face brightened.

"Oh, hello Peter." . . .

She listened intently.

"Possibly. Hold on a minute." . . .

She turned to Vincent. "Vincent, how would you like to have Peter over for dinner tonight?"

Vincent thought Catherine looked anxious. Over the link, he could sense that though she wasn't really worried, she was definitely _anxious_ about something. "Sure Catherine, That would be fine." In fact, she had been a little anxious for the last five days though she had kept it low key.

Catherine returned her attention to the phone. Oblivious to Vincent's scrutiny.

"That would be great. It will be a bit informal, though. What do you want on your pizza?" . . .

She listened, laughed then listened some more.

"OK got it. That's the way Vincent likes it too." . . .

"See you in a few."

She turned to Vincent. "Peter will be here in about 20 minutes." She then looked up the number for their favorite Pizza place and dialed.

"Yes, I'd like to order two large Supremes and a small Veggie, all with extra mushrooms and cheese."

She gave them her name and address then hung up.

"Pizza should be here about the same time as Peter." She announced.

Over the next twenty minutes, Vincent noticed that Catherine was developing a lot of nervous energy and her _anxiousness_ was slowly getting more intense. She was nearly startled by the knock at the door and she almost ran down the stairs. When she opened the door, Peter greeted her and she practically yanked him inside. "Come in. Come in." Vincent felt a momentary surge of _excitement_ and _trepidation_ from her before she clamped down on her emotions.

She and Peter were less than six feet from the door when there was another knock. It was the pizzas.

Vincent reached the dining room at the same time Catherine arrived at the table pizzas balanced in one hand and Peter firmly in tow with the other hand.

As they all sat down Catherine looked at Peter. "Well, what's the word, Peter?"

Again Vincent felt the flash of _excitement_ and _trepidation_ from her only much stronger and he was starting to wonder what this was all about. Vincent felt a momentary surge of anxiousness himself. Over the last month, Peter had been performing some tests to see if they would be able to have children together. Maybe they were about to find out if they were reproductively compatible. That was still the one unanswered question between them.

Peter looked at them both in his most professional stern manner. "Well children it seems that the jury is finally in and, Cathy . . . I'm forced to report that you are . . . definitely pregnant."

Catherine was suddenly jumping up and down, hugging Peter, squealing and laughing all at once.

Vincent just sat there stunned. He had only hoped to find out if having children was a possibility. Now not only was he told it was possible but it was already happening. Even more miraculous to Vincent, was Catherine's reaction. Along with the physical demonstration, he could feel pure _joy_ radiating from her in overpowering waves. Then he noticed the tears running down her cheeks. Slowly Vincent got himself under control, then he stood up and came around the table. He suddenly found himself pulled into Catherine's grasp as she began bestowing a rain of kisses on him and occasionally on Peter. Vincent could now feel his own joy welling up to match Catherine's.

Finally, the celebrating wound down and Peter remarked, "The best part about delivering that kind of news is being in on the reaction." Then he laughed. "Now let's dig into that pizza, I'm hungry."

After a while the conversation had come to names and they were discussing naming conventions when Peter asked them if they were going to follow the naming ceremony customs from Below. Catherine said that she thought that was a great idea.

Catherine and Vincent decided that each would develop a list of names over the course of the next two weeks. They agreed that they would not discuss their lists until they were ready to make their decision. That way each would feel free to consider their own personal preferences before comparing notes and deciding.

Peter also told them that he had run into one of the Emergency room doctors who told him about an unknown street kid he had encountered that would make a fine doctor, if he could only locate him. He added his suspicion that the doctor's description sounded like it was one of the tunnel kids. Catherine told him about Geoffrey's adventure with the carjacking victim. Peter smiled and said that when and if Geoffrey was ready to go to medical school, he would add his recommendation to that of the emergency room doctor. With two such recommendations, Geoffrey would be able to go to just about any school he wished.

~ BB ~

That night, after Peter had gone home, Catherine and Vincent both found themselves unable to sleep.

The inevitable reaction was beginning to set in. After all this time, Vincent was still haunted by the ghost of Paracelsus' words . . . lies. That horrible story re-emerged from the back of his mind and disturbed his thoughts.

Catherine could sense Vincent's _disquiet_ over their link, despite his attempt to clamp down on his emotions. As they lay there together, she slowly drew him out until he finally admitted what was bothering him. They talked about his fears for a while, as Catherine did her best to reassure him. Even her unshakeable certainty could not completely assuage Vincent's fears. But it was the _joy_ that kept bubbling up inside Catherine that finally succeeded in dispelling his fears, at least for the time being.

Eventually they ended up making love into the wee hours of the morning.

Like before, as they were making love the link between them became a wide-open two-way bond as they merged mentally as well as physically into one, to the point where their hearts even beat in unison. This time however the link went deeper and lasted longer and the lovemaking was unusually intense. This kind of intensity had only happened four times before. The first time they made love; the entire week of their honeymoon; the night Vincent had discovered the scar's on her back; and the night they finally decided to try to have children.

~ BB ~

The next day at the DA's office Joe noticed that Catherine was positively bouncing. The last time he had seen her like this was last April. She would giggle or bust out laughing at the slightest provocation. There was definitely something going on.

Throughout the day, everyone in the office seemed to be responding to Catherine's mood. Joe knew that the entire office staff had come to think of her as 'our Cathy'.

Around noon, half the office ended up at the same deli as Catherine and the place seemed to take on a party atmosphere. Even Joe had been infected by her good mood to the point that he was down right cheerful.

Later in the afternoon, Joe saw Catherine almost dozing off at her desk. She must have had a very good time last night. To Joe's mind there was no longer any doubt, she definitely had a guy. Joe found that he was pleased. She deserved all the happiness she could get. Moreover, he now had some more ammunition to tease her with.

~ BB ~

"Honey I'm home." Catherine announced as she entered the brownstone.

"Up here in the library." Vincent called out.

As Catherine reached the library and threw her arms around Vincent, the phone rang. Catherine looked over at it in frustration. "Darn, I swear that phone is out to get me." Then she reached for it. "Who ever that is, it had better be important."

Catherine answered the phone and her face brightened immediately.

"Brigit, it's great to hear from you." . . .

"That's wonderful. Would you be interested in having Dinner with us at my place Friday night?" . . .

"How about Eight o'clock?" . . .

"Great we'll be looking forward to seeing you then." . . .

"Oh he's fine." . . .

"It's wonderful." . . .

"See you day after tomorrow . . . Bye."

Catherine turned to Vincent. "Well it's set. Friday's dinner should be very interesting." Then she began to giggle.

~ BB ~

Later that evening right after dinner, Catherine and Vincent went below to visit Father. Jamie had wandered in to see Father just as they arrived. Something in their demeanor made her decide to stick around.

"So what brings you down here in the middle of the week?" Father asked as they settled in his study. This was the first time he had seen Vincent since yesterday morning.

Catherine spoke up. "We just wanted to see you and pass along some interesting news." Her eyes were practically dancing in the candle light.

Vincent spoke up. "We just heard the news last night." He also seemed almost giddy in his reactions.

Jacob was getting very curious about the news that had put them both in such good spirits.

Catherine finished. "It's official. I'm pregnant." Her face was beaming almost as bright as the sun.

Jamie was squealing and hugging Catherine. Jacob sat there for several moments stunned. Finally, Jacob got his voice back. "I . . . I wouldn't have thought it possible. You're sure?"

"No doubt about it. Peter verified it last night." Catherine beamed at him. "Oh, Father, life with Vincent just keeps getting better and better."

"Have you told any one else down here yet?" Jacob asked.

"Not yet." Vincent replied. "We wanted you to be the first to hear it."

"You have **got** to let Pascal make the general announcement." Jamie spoke up. "He would absolutely **love** that." Everyone grinned as they pictured Pascal gleefully banging out the news on the pipes. "Why don't I run and get him?"

Vincent and Catherine agreed and Jamie ran out of the chamber. A minute later Mary came in.

"I just saw Jamie go barreling down the tunnel like a rocket. What's up?" She looked curiously around the room taking in the general air of excitement.

Catherine spoke. "She just went to fetch Pascal."

Vincent jumped in, his grin so big his fangs were showing. "We just thought he might like to broadcast the news about Catherine's pregnancy."

Mary stood there for nearly two seconds while the words sunk in. Then she broke into a huge grin. "That's wonderful. Congratulations." Then she came over and gave Catherine a big hug. As they separated Catherine could see the glimmer of unshed tears in Mary's eyes.

Ten minutes later Jamie came back dragging Pascal along. "Okay, Okay, I'm here. What's so all fired important?" He asked looking around the room, and then he smiled as he noticed Catherine and Vincent. He was always happy to see them.

Vincent answered him. "We just thought you might like to broadcast the news about Catherine's pregnancy." His eyes were dancing with suppressed amusement as he watched the expressions cross Pascal's face.

Pascal stood there for several seconds then his jaw fell open as the sense of what Vincent had said sunk in. Then there were several seconds of dithering and "Oh, my gosh" and "This is incredible." then a final "Gotta go," As Pascal bolted out of the chamber. As soon as Pascal left they all broke out in laughter at the way he had reacted.

Lena wandered in. "I just got little Cathy to bed and I saw Pascal go running down the hall." She took in the occupants of the room. "What's up?"

Catherine laughed. "Pascal is in a hurry to announce my pregnancy."

Lena went into fits of squeals and laughter as she congratulated Vincent and Catherine. Five minutes later, they heard the sequence that demanded all quiet on the pipes for an important announcement. In less than five seconds, the pipes were completely silent. Then a new message went out over the pipes.

**{ Vincent-Catherine . . . pleased . . . announcement . . . news . . . Catherine . . . p . . . r . . . e . . . g . . . n . . . a . . . n . . . t ** **}**

For some unknown reason no one had yet come up with a single sequence for the word pregnant so it had to be spelled out, where as, Catherine and Vincent's names combined together had already become a single shorthand sequence. As Pascal began to repeat the announcement, at least two whoops, one yea haw, and a half a dozen general cheers could be heard echoing up and down the corridor outside Jacob's chambers. Within minutes, people began wandering in to get details and to congratulate the happy couple. That night a very tired but happy Catherine and Vincent slept in their tunnel chamber.

~ BB ~

Friday evening, Brigit arrived at eight o'clock exactly. The first thing Brigit noticed, as the door opened, was that Catherine practically radiated joy.

"Brigit, it's so good to see you again. Come in, Come in." Catherine urged as she drew Brigit into the parlor.

By the time they had reached the center of the room, Brigit was smiling in response to Catherine's infectious mood. "So what's got you in such a good mood?" she asked.

"Brigit, do you remember our last letters?" Catherine asked with a definite twinkle in her eyes.

"Oh, yes I do. And I'm dying to know what you meant about 'getting what you wish for'." Brigit replied a bit suspiciously.

"Well you remember that costume Vincent wore to your Halloween party."

"Of course I remember it. It looked so real, so natural on him. I kept thinking how magnificent he looked. I even found myself fantasizing that he really looked like that." She grinned at Catherine. "In fact that was the inspiration for my new book."

Catherine's called out. "Vincent, Brigit's here." Then her face took on a very mischievous look. "Well, that was **not** a costume."

Brigit barely had time to absorb what Catherine had just said before she saw Vincent coming down the great spiral stairs at the far end of the parlor. If Catherine had not been standing beside her supporting her elbow, Brigit was sure her knees would have buckled under her. "Mother of God" She breathed. "He **is** real!"

Vincent walked up to her, "Welcome, Brigit, it is so good to see you again."

Brigit tentatively reached out and took his hands as though to convince herself that he wasn't an illusion. Her eyes were wide with wonder and surprise. Vincent also noted that there was no fear in her reactions. Finally, she got her voice back. "I am so pleased to meet you again, Vincent." She looked over at Catherine and back to Vincent in amazement. "I . . . think I need to sit down."

Vincent and Catherine got her safely seated on the sofa giving her time to collect herself.

Then Catherine spoke, "He does take some getting used to, but he's well worth it."

Brigit finally recovered enough to ask almost without thinking, "Where did you come from? Are there many others like you?"

In the past such questions would have really bothered him but being with Catherine had changed all that. He had discovered that she was proud of his uniqueness so he just smiled and replied, "We don't really know where I come from. I was found as an infant abandoned behind St Vincent Hospital, hence my name. The people that found me, raised me in a very secluded community where I was safe from discovery. We have never seen or heard of another one like me."

Catherine chimed in. ". . .at least not yet. In about seven months or so that number may double depending on which side of the family our baby favors."

Brigit's eyes grew wide, "You're going to have a **baby**?!"

Catherine's smile lit up her face. "Just got the official word last Tuesday evening."

For the next half hour, as Catherine set out dinner, they talked about the up coming big event and speculated about the possible outcomes.

Brigit asked. "But, Vincent, how did you avoid attention for so long, and how did you two meet?"

Catherine replied. "Do you remember hearing about what happened to me about three years ago? I know it was in all the papers."

Brigit thought for several seconds then it dawned on her. "I remember hearing about a wealthy heiress that disappeared for ten days then showed up badly injured and mutilated." Looks of horror and sympathy contested for dominance in her face. "That was you wasn't it?!"

Catherine smiled reassuringly, "Yes. That was me. I was grabbed by mistake. They thought I was someone else. They beat me and sliced up my face then they dumped me unconscious and dying in Central Park." She looked over at Vincent. "That's where Vincent found me. He took me to where he lived. He saved my life." She looked back at Brigit. "I was so badly injured it's doubtful I would have survived long enough for them to get me to a hospital."

Tears had formed in Brigit's eyes as she listened to Catherine's narrative. Catherine reached out and gave her hands a reassuring squeeze. "They fixed me up as best they could. My head was completely bandaged for most of those ten days. All I had to carry me through the pain and darkness was Vincent's voice. He talked to me, read to me, fed and cared for me. He gave me the strength to endure. On the last day I couldn't take it any longer. I had to see what had been done to me. I pulled the bandages off and looked for a mirror. When I finally saw myself, it was horrible; I looked like a Frankenstein monster. That's when Vincent came up behind me and I saw him for the first time reflected in the glass bowl I was using as a mirror. I screamed and threw the bowl at him. As he backed out of the room I remembered the one time I had touched his hand while he was feeding me and I realized that he was the Vincent that had cared for me and that my reaction had hurt his feelings badly." A look of sadness crossed her face as she remembered that moment. "Anyway, that evening, Vincent led me back to my apartment. I think I was already falling for him by the time we got there. It was a long time before I saw him again. That night at your Halloween party was only the forth or fifth time we had seen each other."

Brigit smiled. "I remember how obvious the attraction between you two was, even then"

Vincent then spoke up. "Will you tell us about your new book that you mentioned?"

Brigit shook off the effects of Catherine's story. "It's loosely based on '**_Beauty And The Beast_**'. Except at the end, the Beast remains unchanged which is just as well since Beauty happens to liked him the way he is. I called it '**_The Hidden Kingdom_**' and it's about accepting people for who they are. Basically, the young princess Beauty becomes lost in the woods and ends up being chased by wolves. She runs into a hidden magic kingdom ruled over by the Beast. He rescues her just as the wolves are about to devour her. He nurses her back to health and they fall in love but are pulled apart by the incompatibility of their separate kingdoms. They finally take matters into their own hands and force the two kingdoms to accept each other. Then they marry and the two kingdoms merge into one." She smiled at Catherine. "Beauty was based on you, Catherine." Then she looked at Vincent and chuckled. "And apparently Beast was a lot more closely based on you than I had realized." She chuckled again. "And from what you just told me I may have to write a sequel." Brigit reached into a large bag she was carrying. "I brought you a copy of it." Brigit pulled out a gift-wrapped book and presented it to them. "I'm supposed to do a book signing event for my American publishing company tomorrow. I wish you both could be there, though I know that Vincent can't come."

Vincent spoke. "I can't, but Catherine can represent both of us." He looked at Catherine. "You really must go."

Catherine accepted the invitation. Then she opened the package. Inside was a brand new signed copy of Brigit's new book. On the inside of the front cover near the top was a plate that read "**Limited Special Edition - # 0001 of 1000**" and below that it was Inscribed to them both.

- - x - -

_To Vincent and Catherine with great affection.  
Thank you for your inspiration and for proving  
to me that dreams do come true._

_Brigit O'Donnell_

- - x - -_  
_

"The limited first edition of my last book was so successful that the publisher decided to do it again for this book. It just seemed right that you should have this one to go with the last one I sent you." Brigit laughed. "The regular release hits the US bookstores tomorrow morning."

Catherine and Vincent took Brigit upstairs to the library. There sat the other two of their signed books of hers; One of which had been sent to Catherine and the other sent to Vincent on Halloween, a year after they had met Brigit. Vincent's book was also number one of a limited special edition of her previous book. Brigit could tell that the two books were well read and well cared for and it made her smile to see the two books sitting next to each other. To Brigit it seemed to be a wholly appropriate symbol of their love. Catherine placed the new book next to the other two books then they went back downstairs. Catherine brought out the food and they enjoyed a nice cozy diner as they talked until it was late and time for Brigit to go. Vincent carried the leftovers to the kitchen while Catherine walked Brigit to the door.

As Brigit was going out the door, Catherine spotted a man approaching them. She also saw the gun that he was pulling from his waistband. Almost before the scene fully registered, Catherine had yanked Brigit back through the door and slammed it shut as two quick shots rang out, both hitting the heavy front door. Catherine slapped the panic button beside the door as she heard pounding and multiple voices on the other side. That's when she realized that she had seen two other men in the street behind the gunman.

Catherine shouted out Vincent's name and he came around the corner as she picked up the phone to call the police. As the 911 operator answered the phone, Catherine hollered, "We're being shot at." Then the sound of the front window breaking interrupted her as she listed the address. "They're breaking in, now." She dropped the phone and grabbing Brigit, followed Vincent down the back stairs to the cellar. Vincent led them through the secret basement door into the tunnels. Once the door was closed, they stopped to catch their breath.

Brigit looked around and shook her head then looked at Vincent. "So this is how you avoid being seen."

Catherine replied. "It's also the way to reach the community where he was raised. They live in some very old tunnels that are located deep beneath the city."

Brigit smiled as her right eyebrow rose. "Hidden magic kingdom indeed!" She shook her head "Well lead on, oh magical prince."

Vincent led them through several tunnels until they finally came up through the entrance to the basement of Catherine's old apartment building, stopping at the elevator doors.

"You two go on ahead. I'll meet you up there." Vincent told them.

Catherine patted him on the cheek. "OK, you be careful." Then she took Brigit's hand as the elevator doors opened. "Come on. I've a friend that can help us and I know that she would love to meet you." Vincent went around a corner as they stepped into the elevator. "She has been out of town on a business trip but she is supposed to have gotten back around ten today. I warn you though; I'm convinced that she must be psychic."

Jenny had returned from her business trip just a few hours ago and it seemed that for the last two days she had been feeling that some momentous event was taking place. She was also wondering why she had been feeling such a sense of urgency for the last half hour or so and had been contemplating calling Cathy but somehow felt it was unnecessary.

There was a knock at the door and she wondered who could be knocking at her door this late in the evening without being announced by the front desk guard. Jenny was sure the two feelings and the knock at the door were related as she hurried to the door. Peering through the spy hole in the door she saw that it was Cathy.

She pulled the door open. "Cathy?" Then she was very surprised as she recognized Brigit. "Brigit O'Donnell?!" She quickly recovered from her surprise. "Come in. Come in. It is an honor to meet you Ms O'Donnell. I was looking forward to seeing you at the book signing tomorrow."

Catherine added, "Jenny works for your American publishing company." Catherine turned to Jenny. "Jenny, why don't you let Vincent in." She turned back to Brigit as Jenny, looking very surprised, went over to the balcony doors. "Jenny was my maid of honor at our wedding." Catherine continued.

Jenny opened the French doors to the balcony. "Come on in, Vincent." As she came back with Vincent she asked. "Now what in the world is going on?"

"In a moment I need to use your phone first." Catherine responded.

"Of course, be my guest."

Catherine called the police to explain what had happened and to say where she had disappeared to. She was informed that one of the gunmen was already captured, but the other two had escaped. Catherine told them that she and Brigit had reached a safe place for the night and would be at the station in the morning to give their statements. Meanwhile Brigit was telling Jenny about the evening's adventures.

When Catherine came back Jenny looked at her closely. "OK Chandler, what's happened? You are way too happy. Especially after being shot at. What's going on in that little mind of yours?"

Catherine turned to Brigit with a grin, "What did I tell you? She has got to be psychic." She sighed. "Well might as well say it and get the hysteria over with." She turned back to Jenny, her best sweet innocence look in place. "Got a visit from Peter Tuesday. He just wanted to tell me that the pregnancy test was positive, and now everyone keeps getting all excited."

Jenny looked stunned for about half a second then it was squeals, and bouncing and laughter and crying all over again. Brigit and Vincent just looked on with an amused look on their faces.

Brigit commented, "We girls do get rather emotional about some things don't we."

Vincent chuckled. "So it seems."

Jenny insisted that they spend the night at her place.

While she prepared the living room sleeper sofa for guests, Jenny was filling Brigit in on the details of Catherine and Vincent's wedding. Jenny insisted that Catherine and Vincent take the bedroom while she and Brigit took the sofa.

~ BB ~

After a quick breakfast with the girls just before sunrise, Vincent went out the balcony doors.

Brigit watched his exit and turned to Catherine. "Where does he go?"

Catherine laughed. "He goes up to the roof and then down the elevator shaft to the basement. We're just a few floors from the top of the building. This used to be my place before I got the brownstone. That place has easier access to the tunnels below.

Two hours later, a patrol car picked them up and took them to the police station. Joe was there waiting, concern written all over his face. He listened in while they both gave their statements then asked a few questions about some details. After they had finished giving their statements, Joe wanted to talk for a few minutes. Catherine teased Joe about his range of literary knowledge, asking if he even knew who Brigit was. Joe responded that he knew who Brigit O'Donnell was. He even had one of her books. Brigit said that she would be happy to autograph it for him, if he brought it by the bookstore later. The police then escorted Catherine and Brigit to the book-signing event.

When they arrived at the bookstore, around eleven o'clock, there was already a fair sized crowd waiting there for them, including several members of the press. The reporters were snapping pictures and shouting questions at Brigit about the attack the previous night. Someone at the police department had obviously leaked the news about the shooting to the press. Once inside the store the three women hugged then separated. Brigit went over to the table were the line for autographs was already forming. Catherine and Jenny stood off to the side and watched the fun.

At first, the press was a problem. That was eased some what when those in line were required to have a book to be signed and no bulky news equipment was allowed near the table or in the line.

Around two o'clock Joe showed up with his Brigit O'Donnell book. Jenny took it up to the table where Brigit signed it, then Jenny brought it back to Joe. A few minutes later Brigit took a break and the four of them went out to a nice restaurant for lunch on Jenny's company expense account. After lunch Joe left and the three girls returned to the bookstore. Most of the reporters had left by the time they got back. At four Brigit returned to the table and the book signing resumed.

After a while one of the few remaining reporters wandered over to Catherine and Jenny. He looked young and eager.

"Aren't you Catherine Chandler?" He asked.

"_Damn_," Catherine thought to herself, "_and I had managed to stay out of the newspapers for so long_." Catherine replied, "Yes I am."

"I remember you from that mugging incident three years ago." He smiled with just a hint of pride. "That was my first big story and I scooped everyone on it. I remember how hard they had tried to keep it quiet." He appeared to be collating facts in his head. "That was your place where that shooting happened last night, wasn't it?"

It was useless to deny something that was in the police records. "Yes, I'm afraid so. They were after Brigit."

"How do you know Brigit O'Donnell?"

"We met two and a half years ago at a costume party held in Brigit's honor to promote her book '**_300 Days_**'. We were both wearing similar owl masks."

"Yes, I remember that incident. They tried to kill her then also." He once again got that, collating the facts, thoughtful look, then he continued. "Didn't you . . . "

Jenny suddenly grabbed Catherine's arm. "Cathy, something's not right." Jenny looked very anxious. "Something is very, very wrong. I feel danger."

Catherine was immediately scanning the crowd as the reporter also became very alert. Then Catherine spotted one of the gunmen from last night very close to them. He was looking very intently at Brigit and reaching for the gun she could see peeking out from under his jacket and both policemen were on the other side of the room.

Before anyone else could react, Catherine dived at the gunman yelling "**GUN!**" Her elbow smashed into his neck and her other fist caught him right in the solar plexus at the same instant his hand closed around the gun handle. As he went down the gun fired sending a bullet through his leg and her foot. Catherine collapsed on top of the gunman, banging his head on the hard floor, just as the two policemen rushed up.

As the two officers took control of the situation, the reporter announced, "That man had a gun and she still took him out." Suddenly they were interrupted by a disturbance at the other side of the room as two security guards nabbed another gunman that had tried to make a run for it.

Catherine looked up at the two officers, that were both reaching to help her, and announced. "This is one of the three men that attacked us at my home last night."

Then the reporter saw the blood leaking from Catherine's shoe. "Miss Chandler, you've been shot."

Brigit arrived at that moment, concern clearly written on her face. "Cathy, are you alright?!"

Catherine grinned up at her. "It's only a flesh wound, Kemosabi." She frowned as she looked at her foot. "Ouch."

Catherine grimaced as Jenny started trying to help her get her shoe off. "**Ow!** . . . It does sting a bit." Once the shoe was off the reporter offered his handkerchief to bind her wound then he helped lift her off the unconscious gunmen and onto a chair.

The reporter turned to Brigit. "It was incredible. She spotted him and jumped him as he was pulling his gun. She saved your life." Then the reporter got a puzzled look on his face and asked. "Who's Kemosabi?"

Catherine laughed as she responded. "You never heard of the Lone Ranger? I used to love that show."

One of the Officers spoke. "I remember that show. It was one of the things that inspired me to become a policeman."

When the ambulance arrived, they treated her foot and bandaged it, the bullet had gone clean through, and then the paramedics suggested that she should drop by the emergency room and get that taken care of tonight before going home. The paramedics also treated the gunman and carted him away.

Brigit went back to signing books while Catherine sat at the table beside her. Word quickly went around the crowd that this was the third time that Catherine had saved Brigit O'Donnell's life. Soon Catherine was getting requests for her autograph right below Brigit's autograph. Because of the size of the crowd, Brigit stayed well past closing.

When the last of the customers had left, the owner presented Catherine with a very nice looking cane that had a springing lion handle. He explained that the store carried it as part of the collectible paraphernalia from a recently popular book series. He told her that it was supposedly carried by the hero of the book and, because of what she had done today, he felt it was appropriate that she have it. Catherine was fascinated by the carved lion on the handle and Brigit said she thought it was perfect for her.

After telling them that she would meet them at Catherine's place, Jenny left. The police officers drove Catherine and Brigit to the emergency room where the doctor, who turned out to be the same one involved in the carjacking case, had to clean a couple of bits of shoe and stocking debris out of Catherine's wound. He treated the wound with antibiotic, stitched it up, bandaged it up and finished off with an antibiotic injection.

~ o ~

The police took them back to Catherine's brownstone and parked their cruiser across the street just as Jenny arrived by taxi. The two police officers escorted Brigit and Catherine up to her front door where they were joined by Jenny. They all noticed that the broken window had already been boarded up and the bullet holes in the front door had been patched.

One of the officers insisted on being first through the door. As they entered the parlor they found Father sitting there waiting for them, concern on his face. "Father." Catherine called out as she and Jacob hobbled on their canes towards each other, meeting in the middle.

Jacob embraced her in relief. "Catherine, my dear, thank god you're alright. I was so worried when I heard about what happened even with Vincent's assurances that you were alright."

Catherine returned the hug. "I'm just fine Father." Then she displayed a big sunny smile, and held out her cane. "And see, now I have a cane, too. Maybe I'll challenge you to a race later." Catherine could tell that Jacob wanted to chastise her for putting herself in harms way but was restrained by the presence of Jenny and Brigit as well as the two officers, so she beat him to it. "I know what I did was dangerous, Father, but I was the only one close enough to act in time." then she patted Jacobs hand. "Isaac's training hasn't failed me yet." Jacob just harrumphed over it,

The two police officers did a quick sweep of the ground floor after they had assured themselves that everything was OK then they prepared to leave. One stopped at the door and spoke to Catherine. "We are going to station two officers across the street all night incase you have any more trouble." He tipped his cap at Catherine and Brigit. "It was a pleasure meeting you both." Then they left.

As soon as the front door closed behind the exiting police officers, the hidden living room door swung open. Vincent entered the parlor and rushed over to Catherine. He grabbed her shoulders and held her at arms length for a second, looking her over. "Catherine, I felt what happened. I'm so glad that you're alright."

Then he engulfed her in a powerful embrace. She hugged him back just as fiercely. "I'm OK, Vincent."

When Vincent finally eased up on his embrace Catherine responded. "Like they say in the movies, I just got a minor flesh wound." She pulled back a bit and grinned up at him. "But you should see the other guy. He was still unconscious when they dragged him off." She laughed.

Brigit was looking at the wall where the hidden door had appeared and was now gone. "How many hidden doors do you have in this place?"

Catherine chuckled as she replied. "Every floor has access to the that hidden staircase. We used the basement access last night because this one can be seen from that broken window." She broke from Vincent, took hold of Brigit's hand and drew Brigit closer to Jacob. "Brigit, I would like to introduce you to Jacob Wells. He's the man who raised Vincent." Then she turned to Jacob. "Father may I introduce to you Brigit O'Donnell."

Jacob's face visibly brightened as Brigit took his hand. "It's a pleasure and an honor to meet you, sir." She said to him.

Jacob replied. "I can not tell you how much your books have meant to both Vincent and me." He looked sheepish. "Your book **_300 Days_** helped me to understand the relationship between Catherine and Vincent much better."

The introductions over, Jenny and Vincent helped Catherine and Jacob over to the sofa. Jenny described the evening's events at the bookstore in great detail. "It looked like something out of one of those action movies and it was over so fast the gunman never knew what hit him." Jenny told them. "I haven't seen anything that exciting since the Gabriel incident."

Brigit also injected an occasional comments. After Jenny ran down Brigit commented. "I can't help thinking of you two as my own guardian angels. You both have already saved my life three times as well as being the inspiration for two new books."

Jacob then told them that Cullen and Mouse had boarded up the window and had already started work on making a replacement for the broken stained glass window. Then he threw in a little extra surprise. "I have some additional news that you might find interesting."

Catherine noticed a sparkle of amusement in Jacob's eyes as she shifted her attention to him. "And what might that be?"

Jacob's smile widened. "Lena and Julio announced their engagement today. They are planning to have the wedding on the twentieth of September."

Vincent spoke up. "Lena wants you and me to give the bride away. I told her we would be happy to."

Catherine was all grins. "That's wonderful." She chuckled. "Was anyone surprised by the announcement?"

Vincent replied. "I think the general reaction was relief that the shoe had finally dropped. We all knew it was going to happen. We just weren't sure when."

Catherine laughed and conversation moved on to other topics. Finally when it was getting late, Vincent insisted that everyone should stay the night at their place. They were all tired and agreed.

~ BB ~

The next morning's newspaper had a very accurate first hand account of the previous evening's events at the bookstore and an account of everything that was in the police report from the shootout of the night before. The article included the incident on Halloween, two and a half years ago, when she met Brigit and helped stop an Irish terrorist's assassination plot. The attack in her elevator two years ago was also described along with an account of the time she had thwarted the attack on herself and Jenny outside the restaurant last November. There was also a very sparse account of her involvement in the Gabriel affair, a year and a half ago. The article described Catherine as the wealthy, petite five foot four inch, debutante dynamo with a deadly punch that worked at the District Attorneys Office. The article also stated that she was just as unbeatable in the courtroom, listing some of her recent cases, and suggested that the bad guys give her a wide berth.

Catherine thought that young reporter, Thomas Johnson was his name, definitely bore watching. He was too good at digging out facts and putting them together. If he started digging too deeply into her recent past it could mean trouble.

Since it was Sunday and Brigit didn't leave till Monday morning every one took it easy at Vincent and Catherine's place. Brigit was able to sweet talk Jacob into showing her a little of his and Vincent's world Below. Jenny said she had to take care of something and left. Catherine and Vincent went below but stayed near the hub because of her injured foot. During the tour Brigit linked arms with Jacob and was constantly complimenting him on the fantastic world he had created. She was particularly interested in Vincent's chambers. Soon she was calling him Father and they were talking like old friends. Occasionally she and Jacob would get into animated discussions about an aspect of what she kept referring to as his hidden magic kingdom. After he asked her about that reference she explained about the plot of her newest book. The tour ended in Jacob's library where several of the community members came by to meet one of their favorite authors.

As Brigit was telling those assembled in Jacob's library about her adventures with Catherine and Vincent, Jenny showed up with several brand new copies of each of Brigit's books. While she finished up her narrative, she autographed all of the new books as well as the few old copies that were found below. Finally, late that afternoon, the books had been dispensed to all the eager readers and Brigit, Jenny, Catherine and Vincent went back up to the brownstone.

Later that evening Cullen and Mouse brought up the replacement stained glass window. Jamie had come along to insure, so she said, that it was done properly. Catherine was amused to note that Jamie spent most of the time talking with Brigit. When the new window had been installed, Catherine was touched to note that they had worked a red rose and a Winterfest candle into the original geometric motif. Somehow the rose and candle together had come to symbolize Catherine and Vincent to those that knew them both. They also had a second window that matched it to replace the one on the other side. As they were installing the second window, Catherine noticed that if you looked closely you could make out a lion's head hidden in the geometric pattern of the glass panels.

After they had installed both new windows they talked to Brigit for a while. She found them to be fascinating characters. Catherine teased Cullen, Jamie and Mouse that they might end up in one of Brigit's books. Brigit reminded Catherine that she had already mentioned the idea of a sequel. Jamie and Mouse were both embarrassed and excited at the prospect. Cullen simply grinned his usual wicked grin.

Over all, Sunday turned into a nice quiet day with lots of fascinating conversation among good friends, new and old.

~ BB ~

When she arrived at work Monday morning, Catherine hobbled into Joe's office and Joe couldn't resist commenting on her recent activities. "Radcliffe, I've never seen anyone with such a propensity for trouble. Is it karma or just part of your personality that always puts you right in the middle of it?"

Catherine retorted in her sweetest voice. "Well, I guess it's just fate, Joe. Just like it's your fate to be forever trying to figure me out and never succeeding." She waved her cane at him. "Besides, I did get this really nifty cane out of it." With that she set a copy of Brigit's new book, that Brigit had signed for him, on his desk, then hobbled over to her own desk. The rest of the office applauded her as she made her way to her own desk. Everybody, it seemed, had a copy of the newspaper. She had to admit as she sat down, she was feeling rather pleased with herself.

Around noon Detective Diana Bennett dropped by to see how Catherine was doing. After exchanging greetings Catherine grabbed her cane and they went out to lunch together.

Diana was teasing Catherine about always being in the thick of things. "If you keep catching all the bad guys, you'll put the rest of us out of business. Oh, I finally took your advice and started my sister taking self-defense classes with Isaac Stubbs. He's very good and I've even taken a few classes from him. By the way how's the foot."

"I'm sure Isaac appreciates the business. As far as my foot is concerned, it hurts but the doctor said it would heal completely. No permanent damage." Catherine pointed her fork at Diane. "So how are things going with your latest guy?"

"Oh, he's OK. Things are going along pretty good so far. We've been together almost two months now. Although he is a great guy and all, I don't think it will ever develop into anything really serious. More like an extended fling." Diana replied.

Catherine grinned. "Even so, that's a record for you. Since I've known you, you've changed boyfriends the way others change underwear."

Diane laughed. "That's Vincent's fault. Every time I meet someone, I have a tendency to compare them to Vincent. You know he's a hard act to follow. Are you sure he doesn't have a spare twin brother hidden away somewhere?"

"Sorry Diana there's only one Vincent . . . so far." Catherine grinned.

Diana's detective instincts kicked in and she looked Catherine in the eyes. "What do you mean 'so far'? What are you not telling me?" She peered closely at Catherine.

Catherine's eyes sparkled. "Depending on which side of the family it favors, there may be a second one in about seven months."

Diana stared at her for a moment then her eyes opened wide. "You're pregnant?" She shook her head. "I didn't think it would be possible." She laughed. "So that's why you've been in such a good mood today."

After lunch Diana walked Catherine back to her office. Halfway back to the office Catherine stopped and looked down at her cane, puzzled. "Oh, darn, I think the head is coming loose on my new cane."

Diana laughed. "You've never read the books?"

Catherine turned to Diana, puzzled. "What books?"

"Hand me the cane." Diana commanded.

Catherine handed her the cane and with a quick twist Diane pulled the handle away exposing a two foot blade. "It's a sword cane." Diane explained. She put it back together and showed Catherine where the hidden lock release was and how to work it. "I'm a big fan of the books. The hero of the series caries a sword cane exactly like this one." She smiled little sheepishly. "I actually bought one of those last month. It's in the umbrella stand by my front door." She laughed. "It's a good thing you happen to have a concealed carry permit."

Both women were laughing as they returned to the D.A. office.

As she left Diana called. "Do keep me up on any new developments about you know what." Then as she passed Joe's office she blew a kiss in the door. "Bye Joe. You have a good day." Then she winked at Catherine and was out the door.

Her eyes wide with surprise, Catherine stared, first at the main door Diana had just exited then at Joe's office door. "Joe and Diana?!" she thought with a chuckle.

**_Continued in Part 3_**

_( rev 130529 )_

* * *

'_**Beauty and the Beast'**__ and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given._


	3. The Complications

**A New Life_  
_**_by Thomas Mc_

* * *

**Part 3 : The Complications**

Minutes after Catherine arrived at work, she got a frantic call from the mother of Billy, one of her young carjacking witnesses. As soon as she had hung up she made three short calls. Next she called the families of both of the witnesses and gave them instructions on what to do. Then she went to Joe's office.

Joe looked up as Catherine knocked on his doorframe. "What's up Radcliffe?"

"Joe the families of both of our witnesses were threatened early this morning," Catherine explained. "I need a van and two trustworthy officers to transfer them to a safe place until we can get the rest of that gang." She looked upset. "Damn, I should have realized that there had to be more than just those four men involved."

Joe got on the phone and made the arrangements. "OK Cathy, Officers Sanchez and Archer will meet you downstairs and there is a van waiting at the door." His curiosity peaked, he asked, "Where are you planning on taking them?"

Catherine smiled. "They've been redoing some of the apartments in that apartment building I own. You know, the one I used to live in. There are three vacant two bedroom apartments on the sixteenth floor. It's got pretty good security and I doubt that the families of our witnesses will complain about the accommodations." She laughed. "There are some advantages to being a wealthy property owner. I'll fill you in as soon as I get back." She got serious again. "Then we need to squeeze those four we have to get the rest of their gang. I really don't like having my witnesses threatened like that."

With that Catherine headed out of the office and down to the street. She thought to herself as she hobbled along that she was really getting tired of having to get around on her injured foot. And as much as she liked her lion handled sword cane, having to use it all the time was taking some of the fun out of having it. She gave Officer Sanchez directions to the apartments where the families of the two witnesses lived. By the time she arrived, both families were all packed and ready to go.

While Sanchez stayed with the van, Archer helped Catherine bring the families and their luggage down.

As she was loading them into the van she noticed a gray sedan with four men in it parked across the street. She also noticed Geoffrey watching from an alley between two apartment buildings across the street. As soon as she noticed Geoffrey, he pointed to the gray sedan. When she went back into the building to get a second load, she made a quick call to Joe. Then she wrote up a quick note and attached it to a half used pencil as a weight.

While they were packing the second load into the van, Catherine dropped the note, making sure Geoffrey saw it but the four men in the car had not. Then she got into the van and it drove off. The gray sedan took off after the van.

Sanchez looked over his shoulder at Catherine. "There's a car following us."

Catherine smiled at him. "I know. Head towards the Brooklyn Bridge."

Archer smiled. "Leading them the wrong way, isn't it?"

Catherine chuckled. "That's right Miles. Fortunately, the people following us don't know that. I called Joe and he's made special arrangements to deal with them."

After the van and gray car had gone, Geoffrey ran out, picked up the note and read it.

- - x - -

_Geoffrey,  
Have Vincent meet me at the underground entrance  
to my old apartment building . And you be careful . __  
There are some very dangerous men involved .  
- - Catherine_

- - x - -

Geoffrey ran down into the tunnels. He knew that Vincent would be with the younger kids today teaching them about literature. When he found Vincent, he showed him the note. As Vincent prepared to go Geoffrey touched him on the sleeve of his shirt. "Vincent, you wont let anything happen to my friends will you?" He begged plaintively.

"I'll see what I can do." Vincent placed his hand on Geoffrey's shoulder, reassuring him.

Catherine was keeping a close eye on the gray car that was following them. Just after they had crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, a police cruiser came up and pulled the gray car over. She smiled as she recognized Sgt. Johnson at the wheel of the cruiser. She knew that JJ would keep them busy for a long while – he had a bit of a mischievous streak and was very good at complicating a simple stop into exasperating proportions. She had seen him in action before and would have loved to hang around to witness the spectacle. She sighed and instructed Sanchez to make a left turn at the next light and head back towards Central Park. As they were driving through Central Park she gave Sanchez directions to her apartment building. When they reached the other side of the park they pulled up outside a very high end apartment building next to the park.

As they got out Billy's mother asked. "Why are we stopping here?"

Catherine replied. "This is where you will be staying for a little while."

Looking up at the front of the building, Harry's father commented. "But this place must cost a fortune."

Catherine chuckled. "Doesn't cost us a thing." She paused, her grin became lopsided. "I already own it."

The doorman came out, greeted Catherine and helped them bring in their luggage. The guard at the front desk handed her two sets of keys. As they got into the elevator she pushed the button for the sixteenth floor. "I'm putting you up in two unoccupied apartments on the sixteenth floor. Both apartments are newly refurbished and fully furnished so you should have everything you need. A man named Edward Long will be arriving later this evening with everything you need to stock the kitchen. If you have any special requests, just tell him and he'll try to get it for you. You can order from the Deli on the ground floor and they will deliver it to your apartment. Try to go out as little as possible." The elevator doors opened. "Here we are. This building has pretty good security and as long as you stay within the building you should be safe." She stopped at apartment 16 A. "Also Officer Sanchez or Officer Archer will be available with the van if anyone really needs to go anywhere. Just ring the front desk when you need to leave so that the guard can alert whoever is on duty to be your designated driver."

She unlocked the door and handed them one set of keys as she showed Billy's family into the first apartment. The whole family was bowled over by how nice the apartment was. They were especially impressed when they realized that they had a balcony that overlooked Central Park. "If you need anything call me or ask Jenny in apartment 18 A. She is a good friend of mine and will probably be able to help you. I have already alerted her and she will look in on you later."

Catherine got the same reactions from the Henry's family when she showed them into their temporary home in apartment 16 B. After both families were settled, Catherine headed down to the basement to meet Vincent.

Vincent pulled her into a hug. "Is everything OK?"

Catherine replied. "No problem. We were followed but Joe took care of that for us." She explained what had happened. "Any way, I wanted to tell you what is happening and I was hoping that you could kind of keep an eye on the park incase the boys decide to go out there."

Vincent commented. "Geoffrey also asked me to keep an eye on his friends."

Catherine replied. "Just be careful, Vincent, There will be a couple of police officers around most of the time." She gave him a kiss and a hug. "I've already talked to Jenny and she can keep you up to date." Then she headed back up to the lobby.

Sanchez and Archer met her as she got off the elevator. "Do you wish us to stay here ma'am?" Archer asked.

Catherine replied. "I just want one of you to be available at all times where the guard at the desk can find you, so you can supply transportation if necessary and keep them safe when away from the apartments. I'll send out Officer Johnson so that there will be three of you and you will also have a cruiser available. I have also arranged for three parking spaces in the underground garage to be available for your use. The guard will supply you with remotes for garage access." She paused to think. "When your out, be sure to watch out for tails. If you spot one go to the nearest phone and call Joe or me. Then we'll take care of the tail for you."

She hailed a cab and, as soon as one pulled up, she got in and headed back to the office.

~ BB ~

The nice lady from the eighteenth floor dropped by to visit Billy's family earlier at lunch time to see how they were doing and to drop off a handful of books incase they got bored. Billy had read a couple of short stories in a book by someone named Brigit O'Donnell. He had liked the stories but he was a very active boy. He just needed to get out and do something. His mother finally consented to let him go out of the apartment if he promised not to leave the building.

Billy was a natural born explorer. Whenever he was presented with a new environment, his first impulse was to search out all the little nooks and crannies to see what he could discover. The first thing he did after he had checked out the entire apartment was to visit every floor in the building. Once he reached the ground floor he went into every shop that opened off the lobby. He also got into a discussion with the front desk guard. They talked about the type of people that lived there and some of the interesting events that had occurred in the building over the years.

The guard continued with his tales. "A couple of years ago Catherine Chandler was assaulted in that elevator, over there," he informed Billy as he pointed to the left elevator, "by three big tough men." He paused a moment. "By the time the elevator reached the lobby Ms. Chandler had taken out all three of those men, all by herself. It was amazing."

Billy had already been suitably impressed with how Miss Chandler had handled everything since he had first met her. The guards tale had definitely impressed him and increased his respect for her.

The guard continued, "She is only about five foot four and she took out three, six and a half foot tall men." He leaned forward and said conspiratorially. "Personally I think that she was helped by the ghost."

Billy looked at the guard with renewed interest. "What ghost?"

The guard smiled. "Didn't you know? This building is haunted." He waved off handedly at the building that surrounded them. "Occasionally the elevator will go all the way from bottom to the top or from the top to the bottom and there will be no one in it. Also a couple of times people have said they heard strange sounds in the elevator. Or outside on their balconies. Some say it's the ghost of an elevator operator that died while on the job back in the forties." He shook his head with a hint of a smile. "The ghost has never hurt anyone. In fact it may have helped Ms. Chandler."

Billy absorbed this information with relish. He was living in a haunted building. Neat!

The guard chuckled to himself as the boy went on his way. Kids always got a kick out of the haunted elevator story. The interesting thing was that everything he told the boy was true. He had himself heard some odd sounds late one night while riding the elevator.

Billy's next stop was the underground parking garage. He spent a lot of time just looking at all the very expensive cars that he found there. He saw a couple of Ferrari's, lots of BMW's, a Lamborghini, and an Aston Martin just like the James Bond car.

It was getting pretty late in the evening when Billy finally reached the basement, which turned out to be a maze of storage areas and discarded furniture. As he was playing super spy in the basement he heard the elevator reach the bottom. From his vantage point he could see the elevator doors and when they opened the elevator was empty. Then he heard a sound coming from somewhere beyond the elevator. Using his best super spy techniques, he slipped quietly around towards the far side of the elevator. Then he saw a shadow moving among the racks and discards on the far side of the basement.

As Billy moved closer he could barely make out the large dark figure that was moving just as silently in the poorly lit basement. Was this the ghost the guard had been telling him about? All he could make out was a vague figure that seemed to change shape as it moved. As the figure moved again Billy heard the sound of a heavy boot scrape against the floor. That was no ghost. It must be an assassin sent to stop Henry and him from testifying. Though his heart was pounding, Billy tried to breath slowly and quietly. Then to calm his fear he imagined himself as James Bond stalking an evil villain. He was glad he had worn his sneakers today. As quietly as he could Billy moved to the farthest, out of the way, corner of the basement and crouched down in a dark corner next to some boxes stacked against the wall. He just hoped the other person would leave soon.

There was another sound of rustling fabric way too close for Billy's comfort. Shifting his position very slightly Billy could just make out a large figure standing about twenty feet away in the dim light. He had stopped moving. The figures head appeared to be moving and Billy was sure he heard a sniffing sound. Then he heard a low growling coming from the figure that sounded more animal than human. Billy was getting really frightened now and his heart was pounding hard enough to break his chest.

Suddenly the figure moved sideways so fast Billy could barely follow it. Then with a loud horrible roar the boxes went flying and it was right there in front of him. Billy found himself staring, horrified, up at a giant lion man, hands extended with sharp deadly claws and long sharp fangs exposed in a mouth that roared with terrible rage. Billy was frozen in panic.

Just as suddenly the creature dropped his clawed hands and the look of rage had been replace by a look of surprise. Then the creature kneeled down and his face took on a look of indecision.

After a few seconds, Billy recovered, some what, and asked with a tremor in his voice. "You aren't going to hurt me are you?"

The creature looked at him for several moments then with a faint smile it spoke. "No, I'm not going to hurt you." There was both power and compassion in it's voice. "When I came down here I could sense someone stalking me. I thought it was someone sent to hurt you or your friend. Apparently the person I was sensing was you." It looked at him as if expecting an explanation.

Billy was beginning to feel a little more secure. "I was playing James Bond. When I heard you I kept on pretending so I wouldn't be scared."

"That would explain what I was sensing. Actually that is very smart of you, using your imagination to control your fear." The creature nodded to him in acknowledgment. "I'm really here to protect you and your family, but you can't tell anyone about me. A friend asked me to watch over you and Henry." The creature's smile got a little wider and Billy could see the fangs peeking out. "It's getting late and you should be getting back to your apartment before your mother starts to worry."

Billy barely nodded, "OK," and stood up.

The creature stood up also. "You get going. And remember, I can't protect all of you if they know I'm here so you must not tell anyone about me."

As Billy started moving away he glanced over his shoulder. "I won't tell anyone. No one would believe me anyway." Then he ran back to the elevator.

By the time he got home his mother was on the phone. "If you see him . . . " She looked up. ". . . Never mind he just showed up." She hung up the phone. "Where have you been. It's getting late and I was very worried about you."

Billy could see that his mother was upset. "I'm sorry mom. I was exploring and I lost track of time."

At this point the nice lady from upstairs came out of the apartment's tiny kitchen. "Boys often do loose track of time when they're exploring." Now he remembered the lady's name was Jenny. "We were about to form a search party to send out after you." And she smiled. "You gotta be careful when you're in strange territory." Jenny chuckled. "You wouldn't want to run into that ghost that the guard is always talking about."

Billy spoke up. "It's not a ghost, It's a . . . " He clamped his mouth shut. He had almost told them about the lion-man.

Jenny looked startled as Billy's mother asked. "It's what?"

Billy answered. "Nothing . . . There's no such things as ghosts."

His mother seemed satisfied but Jenny was staring at him very intently. At that moment Billy's father arrived home and all thought shifted to dinner. Jenny was invited to stay for dinner and she accepted. After they had eaten, Henry's family came over and everyone had a pleasant evening. Billy had however noticed Jenny looking at him speculatively several times. He was worried that he might have said too much but no one asked any questions about what he meant so he finally relaxed. Eventually it was time for everyone to go home for the night.

As Billy lay in his bed he kept thinking about the creature. Where did it come from? Who had asked it to watch over them? How had it known where to find them? How had it known their names? He kept thinking there was something familiar about that creature. Then it finally hit him. The clothes it was wearing looked a lot like the clothes that Geoffrey usually wore. Could he have something to do with that creature?

~ o ~

That evening Vincent informed Catherine that Billy had seen him. "I thought there was an invader in the basement. He was moving around so stealthily. I think I scared him half to death when I finally found him."

A half hour later Jenny called to tell Catherine that she thought Billy had seen Vincent. Jenny also told her that Billy had almost let it slip once but had stopped himself. She said that after the near slip Billy was very careful about what he said whenever the subject of the building's ghost was mentioned. Catherine reported Vincent's side of the story to Jenny.

After she hung up Catherine mumbled to herself, "My life seems to be turning into a series of complications." She still had to finalize the plans for Elliot's secret wedding without letting the news get out. She mentioned this to Vincent.

Vincent took her into his arms. "We can get together next week with Elliot and Victoria to work on the plans for their wedding. How about dinner, Wednesday?"

Catherine agreed that it would be a good idea. She would contact Elliot in the morning and see if that was feasible.

~ BB ~

Catherine walked behind Victoria as Vincent escorted her from the solarium to where Elliot stood waiting next to the priest in their roof top garden. When they reached Elliot, Reverend Ferguson asked who gave the bride away, to which Vincent responded, "I do." Then Vincent moved over to his position as best man, while Catherine took her position as Maid of honor.

The only other attendants of the wedding were Peter, Father and Jenny. It had taken some doing to pull this wedding off secretly. Peter had taken care of the blood tests. A helper that worked for the state license and records department had quietly obtained the marriage license without letting the news get out. Father had recommended Reverend Ferguson, who had been a helper for fifteen years. Catherine and Jenny had arranged everything else.

After the ceremony they all went down to the parlor for a small intimate reception. Victoria kept thanking them for their help. Finally Elliot and Victoria left in a chauffer driven limo, that Peter had arranged, to begin their honeymoon. The first week they were going to spend at Catherine's Connecticut lake house, then they were going on a cruise that had been booked in Jenny's name. With luck, the press wouldn't catch up to them until they got back.

As Elliot and Victoria left the reception, Catherine thought that Elliot looked so happy and she was glad for him.

When the last guest had left, Vincent picked Catherine up in his arms and with a wicked gleam in his eyes announced, "This wedding ceremony has put me in the mood for a honeymoon." And he proceeded to carry her up the main stairs towards their bedroom,

Catherine threw her arms around his neck and responded, "Excellent idea."

~ BB ~

Joe really began to put on the pressure. Using Catherine in the classic good cop - bad cop ploy, except, in this instance, it was good DA and bad DA. The difference was Catherine was playing the bad DA. She was the one that advocated throwing the book at them; telling them that if she got her way, by the time they again saw sunlight, they would be too old to enjoy it. Joe played the one who was willing to cut a deal if they could somehow placate Catherine.

Joe kept playing up the newspaper articles about her ferociousness both on the street and in the courtroom.

He mentioned the time three gunmen had tried to attack her in an elevator and she had taken all three of them out by herself bare handed. Joe smirked and remarked in passing that the leader in that group was still singing soprano and the doctors didn't know if they could help him.

Joe told them that in the courtroom she always goes for the throat and pushed for the maximum sentence possible, and she never lost a case. The fact that she really did have that reputation in court helped. Joe thought to himself that this was essentially true in part because of the type of cases she normally dealt with.

Catherine was having a ball playing the tough dangerous one. She kept begging Joe to let her have them alone for just ten minutes. Several times she would go into her out-of-control act and Joe would appear to be working very hard to calm her down reminding her of her suspension last year for attacking that uncooperative prisoner. Twice during the interrogations Catherine went into her hard core act and slammed her cane onto the table top scaring the life out of both the prisoner and Joe. Though her foot was healing nicely, she still needed the cane to get around easily.

After both times she slammed the cane, Joe confided to the prisoner that he couldn't stop her from bringing it in because of her foot.

Once Joe asked her, in the suspect's presence, if the guy that shot her ever regained consciousness. Catherine replied that she didn't think so and she didn't really care. The last she heard, he was still in the hospital.

Joe played up the idea of Catherine being so tough that she keeps on going even after being shot in the foot. He mentioned that she has been shot before which always turned out to be unfortunate for those that shot her. He confided to each of the thieves that shooting Cathy only made her mad, and then everyone suffers. Especially those she goes after in court.

Often after the interrogations, Joe and Catherine would retire to his office and laugh about her antics. Once he confided to her that he often had a hard time keeping a straight face when she went into her act. He also told her that a couple of times she had been so convincing that she scared even him.

After a few days Joe started begging them to play ball with him so he could cut a deal. Otherwise he would have yield to pressure from the councilman, who's caddie they stole, to turn her loose and allow her to crucify them.

Finally one of the thieves broke and gave up the location of their operations and the name of their leader. The next morning the chop shop was raided. Almost the entire gang was rounded up. Their leader was the only one missing.

~ BB ~

The next day Catherine was visiting Lena.

"So how is the wedding coming along." Catherine asked.

Lena remarked. "I'm really looking forward to it and everything is almost perfect."

Catherine quizzed her "What do you mean by 'almost perfect', Lena?"

"It's nothing really. It's just that I can't seem to come up with the right wedding dress." Lena admitted. "I want to look my best for Julio, and I want something appropriate for down here. Something kinda like the dress that you wore."

Catherine looked at her thoughtfully for a few seconds, then got a huge smile on her face. "You and I are almost exactly the same size. You could use my wedding dress if you want."

Lena looked up at her in surprise. "You mean that? You wouldn't mind? That dress was so beautiful."

Catherine responded. "Of course I mean it. You're welcome to use it if you want."

"Oh, Catherine, I would be honored to wear it." Lena threw her arms around Catherine in a big hug. "Thank you." Then Lena seemed to become very shy as she asked, "Do you mind if I asked a huge favor of you?"

"What is it you want?" Catherine responded.

"I don't have any real parents." She blushed as she continued. "would you and Vincent be willing to fill in as the parents of the bride?"

Catherine smiled at Lena, her eyes dancing. "I would be honored and I know Vincent would be happy to serve in any way he could. You know we filled in for Victoria's parents not to long ago when she married Elliot."

"Yes, I heard about that." Then she giggled. "Maybe you and Vincent could turn professional as surrogate 'parents of the bride' for weddings."

Catherine laughed. "We could start a whole new industry."

The rest of the visit involved general wedding plan discussions.

~ BB ~

Four weeks after Peter's report, Catherine and Vincent were preparing to choose the potential names for their child.

"Have you got your list?" Catherine had such a happy gleam in her eyes.

"Yes." Vincent retrieved his journal from the bedside table and sat up beside her, turning to the page where he had kept a list of names and notes.

"Why don't we start with the boy's names. You go first," she said. "What have you got?"

"There's Charles, for your father."

Catherine smiled at him, A lump in her throat as she thought about her father. She rapidly blinked away the tears that threatened to form as she felt a surge of love and gratitude for Vincent that he had thought of her father as his first choice. The strength of her reaction held him momentarily speechless, then she urged him to continue. "What else?"

"William, because we both love Shakespeare." He looked somewhat sheepish at that suggestion, but Catherine knew he liked name as much as the reason for it's selection.

"And don't forget William the cook!" she teased.

"Of course," he replied, with a smile.

Both had the same thought of the extra goodies that a child with that name might get and burst into laughter. Finally Catherine turned them back to the business of naming their son. "Go on."

"Jacob, or Peter," he added, "for all of the help and support they have given us during your pregnancy."

She kept her smile hidden, nodding as though she accepted his words at face value.

"That's all I have, Catherine. What about your choices?"

Vincent noticed that Catherine was looking extremely pleased with herself. "My list is shorter. There were only two names on it." He nodded encouragingly at her. "Charles."

He wasn't surprised at her choice. In fact he was already sure that was the name they would chose. He had nodded his head knowingly, as Catherine continued. "But then I decided against it."

Vincent couldn't stop the quizzical look that flashed in his eyes for a moment, though he tried to cover it smoothly. He could think of no reason why she would reject it. Finally he regained sufficient composure to ask her why.

"I thought of a better name." She replied.

"And the other name, Catherine?" He asked.

"Jacob." She held his gaze steadily, not missing the look that he tried so hard to hide. "Vincent, it has **got** to be Jacob." That sun coming out smile that he always loved to see lit up her face. "Father will always be 'Father' to everyone else, but to our children . . ." She had become very serious as she took hold of his hands and looked him in the eyes. "He'll be 'Grandfather' to them. You see that, don't you?"

He gasped at the words 'our children' and 'Grandfather', but she blithely ignored the shocked expression on his face and went on. She now had a very earnest look on her face. "I want the name Jacob in order to honor that relationship both to you and to our children."

Vincent was having trouble responding. The idea of 'our children', Plural, filled him simultaneously with a dizzying pleasure and a fearful trepidation. There was still so much they had not yet worked out about their life together, but her words dismissed all of that, as though it were only a minor thing to be banished like the darkness when a candle was lit. And the grandfather reference that assumed Father was his father made him feel warm inside.

"Vincent?" Catherine squeezed his hand, and her gentle words, drew him back to her. "I really do want it to be Jacob. What do you want?"

He knew that she had seen beyond his rationale for offering up his adopted father's name on his own list. She knew it was the choice he wanted more than anything as a tribute to his adopted father who had accepted him as his own son. The name would merely emphasize those ties for all to see. He wanted it for his son, for Father, and even for himself.

But he did not want it at the expense of Catherine's own lineage. Vincent replied "Your father, Catherine, is just as important . . ."

She interrupted him once again, her hands squeezing his with a fierce insistence. "**Jacob**, Vincent, it's got to be Jacob. For both of us." She smiled, her eyes gleaming. "We can save Charles for the next one." She added those last words teasingly, enjoying the flustered state of confusion Vincent was thrown into as the concept of more children was again raised.

Blushing, he finally gave in, joy filling him. "All right, Catherine, Jacob it is."

When it came to a girls name Vincent had two. "Jennifer if it's a girl. I don't even know why but I've always felt a connection to that name. It always seemed special to me, ever since I can remember." Vincent got a little flustered again. "When I was a boy, it was the name I imagined for my missing mother. It was the first name that occurred to me." After a moment he emerged from his reverie. "The other name I came up with was Caroline, for your mother."

Once again tears threatened to form as she thought about both of their absent mothers, hers was dead and he had never known his. She quickly pulled herself together. Then Catherine broke into a big smile. "Jenny was named after her father's mother, Jennifer, and since Jenny was one of my choices, I think Jennifer is perfect." She reached up to touch his cheek. "Besides, I could never deny you anything that meant that much to you."

Later that evening, Joe called to tell her that the police had raided a small car repair garage in Queens and captured the leader of the car theft ring. That meant that tomorrow morning they would begin preparing to bring the entire gang to trial. The next month would be very busy.

~ BB ~

As Catherine stepped out of the shower she was contemplating the day's workload. "It's going to be a busy morning," she muttered under her breath. She had several depositions planned and three briefs to finish up and submit. As she glanced at herself in the mirror, she frowned, thinking she was definitely getting just a little bit thick around the middle. She turned back and forth noting the subtle changes that were already taking place as a result of her pregnancy.

As she was turning around, the eight long scars, running from her shoulders to halfway down her back, caught her attention. They were barely visible, even in the bright bathroom lights, but she always noticed them. They were a souvenir of the night she went down into the lower catacombs to save Vincent from the madness that had engulfed him after the death of Paracelsus. That had been a terrible time when she had come so terribly close to losing him. Fortunately, she had brought him back from the abyss and, once Peter had discovered the spores that had been the real cause of the madness and the simple cure, they were able to insure that it would never happen again.

She turned to reach for her bathrobe and discovered that it was missing from it's usual place on the wall hook. Then her memories shifted back to that terrible and wonderful night it had snagged on that hook, leading to Vincent's discovery of those scars on her back. It had nearly torn apart their brand new, still fragile, life together, but they had worked it out and it had strengthened their love and their bond beyond anything they could have ever imagined. It had also eventually led to this wonderfully, annoyingly, growing bulge around her middle, their first child.

She shook her head as she dragged herself back to the present. No time to daydream; busy day at the office today; must get moving. Now where did she leave her bathrobe?

Vincent had sensed Catherine's shifting moods as she stepped out of the shower. At first there was a hint of annoyance and then acceptance. He suspected that she was probably noticing the changes brought on by pregnancy. He had also noticed those changes, but to him it was just another aspect of her astonishing beauty. Then there came a peculiar yet familiar sequence of emotions that Vincent easily recognized. It meant that she had caught a glimpse of the scars on her back and was remembering both how she got them and when he had found out about them. They had both long since put those demons behind them but those scars would always remind him of how dangerous he could be, even unintentionally. They also reminded him of how unconditional her love for him really was.

As Catherine walked, naked, into the bedroom, a sight Vincent definitely found very enjoyable, she spotted the bathrobe at the foot of the bed and headed over to retrieve it. She could sense Vincent's reaction to her nudity and was enjoying the sensation of lust that she still generated in him as she approached the bed. In response she added just a tiny extra hint of flirt to her walk.

As she reached for the robe, Catherine sensed a sudden shift in Vincent's mood. Before the change could fully register, he sprang up from the bed, wrapped his powerful arms around her and pulled her onto the bed. Catherine found herself laying on top of her favorite furry pillow, staring into sapphire blue eyes that sparkled with amusement and, slightly erotic, mischief. She couldn't help but smile at the grin on Vincent's face, his fangs clearly showing. Then she felt the tips of his claws gently move down her back with a feather light touch that sent delicious shivers up her spine. She closed her eyes and let the feelings wash over her. His hands finally came to rest, one on her behind and the other on her lower back, pressing her closer.

She could clearly feel his growing reaction beneath her. "You are such a wicked beast." she growled as she opened her eyes and grinned down at him.

"And you are my beloved beauty." he responded his eyes flashing with the same emotions she could feel pulsing through their bond.

Then they were both engulfed in a passionate kiss that blotted out everything else until they finally parted in order to breath.

"I love you, Catherine." Vincent softly whispered as he gazed into her emerald eyes.

Again they kissed, and again, the rest of the world momentarily disappeared.

When they finally came up for air, Catherine caught a glimpse of the bedside clock and smacked Vincent on his furry chest. "You terrible tease, getting me all worked up like this when I have to hurry and get ready for work." Then she started to get up from the bed while trailing her hand along his chest, reluctant to completely break contact.

Vincent grabbed and held on to her hand just as it broke contact, momentarily restraining her. "It will give you something to look forward to for tonight." and smiling, his eyes flashing blue fire, he released her hand.

Catherine couldn't stop a soft smile from lighting her face as she dressed, fully aware that Vincent was laying there watching her the whole time and enjoying the view. Thoughts of tonight's possibilities kept flashing through her mind as she finished getting ready for work.

Vincent was very pleased with himself as he watched Catherine getting dressed and enjoying the emotions that he had set in motion within her. As she was putting the finishing touches on, he rose from the bed and began getting ready for his morning. Today after breakfast in the common dining chamber Below, he would be teaching a literature class to the younger children of the tunnel community.

With a kiss and a hug and a very erotic emotion sent over their link, she said goodbye to him and headed to work.

Throughout the morning, she kept thinking about Vincent and the promise of this morning's little interlude. Then, as her imagination was getting particularly intense, she sensed a flash of embarrassment over the link from Vincent. She quickly clamped down on her emotions, realizing that her erotic thoughts must have caused an embarrassing reaction in Vincent. She shook her head as an embarrassed smile played across her lips. This wouldn't be the first time this had happened. The bond with Vincent was an incredibly wonderful gift, but sometimes it could have unexpected consequences. Cullen still teased them about the time he learned that Vincent could blush. And Catherine vividly remembered the time, four months ago, she had fled from a meeting in one of the interrogation rooms because of the effect Vincent's erotic daydream was having on her.

It could be incredibly difficult to control one's thoughts and emotions but by concentrating hard on her work, she was able to keep her mind, mostly, off of Vincent. As a side effect of concentrating so hard, she also was able to speed up her output.

Her carefully controlled concentration was broken once when Joe stopped by her desk and innocently commented, "Well, Radcliff, did you have a productive morning?" , causing her to blush furiously. Joe took in her reaction and remarked. "Well, well, I, ah, guess you did." He smiled, turning red himself. After a second he recovered his aplomb. "Say hello to him for me when you get home." And turning, he chuckled as he walked away.

Placing her head in her hands, she groaned. Joe hadn't even given her a chance for her usual denial. Then she felt a sense of _curiosity_ coming from Vincent. He was probably wondering what had caused her reactions just now. Very carefully she got her emotions under control again, which had become more difficult lately, and forced her thoughts away from Vincent. Concentrating this hard caused the emotions she was feeling from Vincent to fade into the background again. Then she continued with her work. By the time she had to go to a scheduled deposition, an hour later, she was back to her normal efficient self.

When she was getting ready to go home that evening, her thoughts had again swung back around to Vincent and this morning. She barely noticed Joe's goodbye as she left the office. Bypassing the elevators in favor of the stairs which were the quicker way down, she hurried toward her home and the very special person that she sensed was already waiting there for her.

As he watched Catherine exit the office, Joe couldn't help chuckling to himself. He hoped her guy had taken his vitamins because, based on the way she just flew out of here, he was going to need them.

By the time Catherine entered her home, she had only one thing on her mind and Vincent was more than happy to oblige her until quite late that night.

~ BB ~

As Catherine carefully began packing her mother's wedding dress away, she smiled, reminiscing about Lena and Julio's wedding and how beautiful Lena had looked in this dress. It had been a simple little affair. Just Lena and Julio with Father officiating and about a dozen of their closest friends. Catherine remembered how proud she was of Lena as she and Vincent had both escorted her up to Julio and gave the bride away.

Lena had come a long way from the scared, pregnant, teenage runaway prostitute that Catherine had first encountered. Now she was a happy young mother that had found love and acceptance in the tunnel community and she had just married the love of her life. Catherine smoothed the precious gown into the storage bag and closed the zipper. She hoped Lena's marriage would be as happy as the other two marriages that had been initiated with the bride wearing this dress. She looked down as she placed her hand over her belly. Maybe some day a daughter will wear it to her own wedding.

As she hung the bag in the back of the storage closet, Catherine thought how glad she was that she had ignored the volunteer hotline rules that night and become involved with Lena.

~ BB ~

As they walked along the pathway, Vincent was looking at her and thinking that even near the end of her pregnancy, Catherine was still so incredibly beautiful. According to Peter, the baby was supposed to arrive any day now. Vincent was admiring the red-gold highlights the sun produced in Catherine's hair when he was struck by a feeling of _disquiet_. He looked around, trying to identify the source of his unease but could not see anything to account for it.

"Vincent, what's wrong?" Catherine asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

Vincent looked back at her and paused in thought, searching himself for the source. . "I do not know." He shook his head. "I just have the feeling something is wrong."

Catherine looked around. "I see nothing wrong." She shook her head then she got a surprised look on her face. He was about to ask her what was the matter when she grabbed her belly and a look of pain flashed across her face. He realized that she must be going into labor.

Vincent grabbed her elbow. "It must be time. We must get back home and call Peter." He started to turn back towards their brownstone.

Catherine suddenly jerked her arm from his grip. She looked up into his eyes with a look of fear and sorrow. Then her face twisted in great pain. She screamed Vincent's name as she collapsed to the ground. She gave several violent spasms as he stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. Then he leaped back in horror, calling her name, as with one last shudder and a splatter of blood, a clawed hand burst forth from her body.

~ o ~

Catherine could feel that something was terribly wrong. She felt _fear_ and _panic_ quickly building inside her. Then Vincent yelled her name as he exploded upright in their bed, nearly knocking her out of it. For several moments Vincent stared at her, the pain and horror plainly showing on his face as he began to shake uncontrollably.

Catherine put her arms around him and held him as tightly as she could. She remembered the last time she had seen him like this. That time he had dreamed that he had been too late to save her and she had died in his arms. Slowly he calmed down as the shaking eased off and he put his arms around her. Like the other time she could feel his need to hold her and reassure himself that she was real. Meanwhile she kept repeating, "Every thing's alright. It was only a dream."

Finally, when she felt he was calm enough, she asked him what happened. Haltingly he told her about his nightmare. As he told her she continually reassured him that everything was all right and it was only a dream.

"Catherine, it was so real." He touched her arms, reassuring himself that she was okay.

"It was only a dream, Vincent. It wasn't real. It was just a result of those horrible stories, Paracelsus told you." Over their link, Catherine's _confidence_, _certainty_ and _love_ were pouring into the hole of doubt and fear left behind by the nightmare. "Peter says that my pregnancy is moving along in a perfectly normal fashion."

"I just can't shake the feeling that it could happen like in my dream." Vincent looked down at her belly. "I'm afraid Catherine. If I lost you, I don't think I could survive." He looked back up into her eyes. "This isn't the first time I dreamed of your death, and the last time it nearly came true."

Catherine frowned. "Nonsense. From what you told me about that dream, most of it was wrong and there were some things in it that could never have happened." She thought about what he had told her. "You found me in a building that never existed and you dreamed that I was pregnant." She shook her head. "Doesn't sound very accurate to me."

"I know, but I can't stop myself from worrying. We have no idea what the birth of a child of ours will be like. It has never happened before."

"Actually, it has happened before." He looked at her in confusion, only to see a sparkle of amusement in her eyes as she continued. "Thirty odd years ago, you were born, and there was no massive amounts of blood or dead body laying around. Shortly after I became pregnant, I did an extensive search of all the legal records and hospital reports of that time. I found nothing to indicate that there was any truth in the lies that Paracelsus told you. For all I know your mother may still be alive and wondering what happened to you."

Vincent gazed into her eyes, a glimmer of hope kindled in his own. "I hope you're right."

"I know I am." Then she patted his cheek. "I have an appointment with Peter tomorrow for a checkup. And with Father and him both checking up on me, or more accurately, hovering over me, I'm sure everything will come out okay." She snickered as she realized the pun she had just produced. "At least wait until we find out what Peter has to say before we waste time worrying." She yawned. "Meanwhile I need my beauty sleep while I'm still slim enough for it to matter."

Vincent made a noise that was halfway between a snort and a laugh. "One thing I did learn from that dream, you will be as beautiful at nine months as you are right now." And he pulled her close and kissed her very thoroughly.

As they lay there together they both had many things to think over but sleep eventually overtook them.

~ BB ~

Catherine was now about three and a half months into her pregnancy. When regular quitting time rolled around Catherine was ready to go. Her foot was healing nicely and though she still used the cane she barely limped. As she was starting to walk away from her desk Joe walked up.

"Now what's wrong with this picture Radcliffe?" Joe quipped. "Leaving work on time for a change? Are you ill? Did the pod people from Mars get you?" There was just a hint of seriousness in Joe's teasing voice.

"Nothing that serious Joe. I just have an appointment I have to go to." Catherine replied. "Besides I need to stir up the routine around here once and a while. It helps keep you off balance."

Joe laughed. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." He went on past her and over to the records drawers, where he proceeded to dig for some files.

Catherine soon arrived at Dr. Peter Alcott's office for her second monthly checkup. They had scheduled it for after hours to avoid the possibility of someone in his staff discovering and passing on news of her pregnancy. While he was listening to her belly with his stethoscope, she noticed a puzzled expression on his face. His expression made her a little anxious. The last thing she and Vincent needed was to have problems with her pregnancy. No matter what she and others said, the poison of Paracelsus' words still haunted Vincent with the possibility that the pregnancy could bring harm to her. His nightmare last night was ample proof of that.

Peter looked up and smiled. "I think it's about time we did a sonogram and see just what we have here."

He led her to another room and started preparing her. The jelly felt so cold on her belly and she was getting worried about what Peter might have heard when he was listening to her. Peter was concentrating extremely hard as he watched the sonogram screen. Then his eyebrows shot up almost to his hair line.

Catherine's heart skipped a beat. "Is there something wrong with the baby?"

Peter looked at her and smiled. "No Cathy, no problems. They both appear to be developing just fine."

Catherine breathed a sigh of relief as she relaxed. Then her eyes flew wide open as it finally hit her. "Both ?!"

Peters smile was now big enough to split his face in half. "Yup. Seems like you're having twins, Cathy."

Peter shut off the sonogram machine and put it away. When Catherine tried to get up her legs were so rubbery they nearly went out from under her. Peter had to help hold her up while she tried to regain control of herself.

"When I was listening to the fetal heartbeat with the stethoscope it didn't sound quite right. At first I was afraid it was some type of birth defect but I didn't want to say anything until I was sure what it was. They're both slightly undersized but that's expected with twins." Peter smiled at her. "Think you got your land legs back yet?"

Catherine smiled back at him. "Yes, I think I'm OK now. It was such a shock. I've been hoping I could at least give Vincent one healthy child of his own and now I find that I will be giving him two." She shook her head. "Is there any way to tell if they will be like Vincent or like me?"

"It's still way to soon to tell. We may not be able to get anything definitive until very close to delivery and even then it may be difficult to tell." He escorted her out to the waiting room. "You have fun now. I would love to see Vincent's face when you tell him the news." He gave her a quick hug. "Bye."

Catherine was practically floating on air all the way home.

Vincent was there waiting when she got home. "I caught a flash of worry from you, then a lot of turmoil. But, from what I have been feeling from you for the last twenty minutes, I assume that Dr. Peter had good news for you at your check-up."

Catherine smiled up at him as she maneuvered him towards one of the chairs. "Yes, Dr. Peter said there were no problems. He told me they both appear to be developing just fine." She silently started counting to herself as she set her purse on the coffee table by the sofa. She had reached five when Vincent suddenly got a look of stunned surprise, then abruptly sat down.

Vincent looked up at her dumfounded. "Both?"

"Yes, both. It seems our family is going to get a bit of a boost to start with. We're having twins."

Vincent shook his head still trying to collect his thoughts. "Twins?"

Catherine smiled down at him. "Bit stunning, isn't it."

"Twins?!" He just kept shaking his head.

"You're certainly firing on all cylinders today." Catherine teased him.

He jumped up, wrapped his arms around her, and held her gently close. "Catherine, it's a miracle beyond anything I ever dared to wish for. It's like fate has decided to repay us for all we've been through in one shot, with interest."

She looked up to see tears in his eyes, which were getting hard to see because of the tears in her own eyes. Then he bowed his head and kissed her forehead. Then her cheeks. And finally on her lips. She melted against him and the rest of the world got fuzzy for awhile.

When they came up for air Vincent smiled. "Well looks like Charles is back in the pot for the time being. And I insist that the second boy's name be Charles. For the second girl's name, there's still Caroline, Grace, Margaret or Brigit." He had his hands on her waist as he held her away and studied Catherine's face.

Catherine thought about it for a minute. "Well since Jennifer will probably be called Jenny most of the time, how about Nancy for the second girl's name?"

"That sounds perfect. I like it." Then he got a twinkle in his eye as he looked into hers. "Who knows, we may end up using several of them."

As the meaning of his words sunk in she could feel the joy bubbling up inside her again. Not only was he finally accepting the possibility of a family but he was even thinking in terms of three or more children. Catherine threw her arms around his neck. "Vincent, I love you!" and again they were kissing. She was delirious with joy. Life just seemed to keep getting better and better.

~ BB ~

The next day at work Joe noticed that Catherine seemed to be in exceptionally good spirits and a lot more tired than normal. He walked up to her desk. "Well, Radcliffe, did you have a good evening? You sure seemed to be in a hurry to get out of here after work yesterday"

"Well, Joe, you could say that it was a good evening." She replied as she smiled up at him. "I guess you could say that luck was very much with me." There was definitely a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

Joe walked away shaking his head. Did she just obliquely tell him that she got lucky? He decided that he didn't want to know. Like a big brother he liked to think of her as still innocent though he doubted that was true. He remembered how it had shocked him when she told him she had posed nude for a life studies art class.

Catherine watched Joe walk away. Poor Joe. He was so sweet and so easy to tease. The look on his face when he realized what she had said was priceless. She was very fond of him. If Vincent were not in the picture she suspected that things could have developed into a very serious relationship between Joe and her. But then if there were no Vincent she probably never would have met Joe. Oh well she did have Vincent. And Joe was a very dear friend.

Jenny came over to have lunch with Catherine. This time Catherine suggested that they go to a popular place near by that served large portions. Catherine had missed breakfast so she did eat a very large meal.

Jenny was amazed. "My word Cathy, you must be hungry."

Catherine looked at her with the mischievous twinkle Jenny knew so well. "Well, after all I am eating for three." And put another bite in her mouth while quietly counting to herself. This time she only got to three.

Jenny just looked at her wondering what that twinkle in her eyes was all about. Then Catherine's words finally registered. "Three? Are you having twins? My god Cathy that's wonderful. How did Vincent take it."

Catherine blushed. "Based on last night's performance, he took it rather well." Then she grinned shyly.

Jenny blushed and they both broke into giggling fits.

Then they heard a voice off to the left. "You and Vincent are having twins?" They both looked over to see Diana Bennett seated at the table next to them. "That sounds wonderful." Then she arched her eyebrows. "And Vincent took the news rather well you say." Then Diana was giggling which set off Catherine and Jenny again.

After they all had their giggling under control, Jenny had some news.

"Cathy, you know every year my publishing house has a Halloween costume party at the children's books division. Its for children of employees, authors, and their friends. It's intended for children ages six to twelve, elementary school age. Anyway I wanted to invite you and Vincent to bring some of the tunnel kids to the party. Nancy and her family will be there. The adults also wear costumes so Vincent would fit right in." Jenny chuckled. "Anyway since Disney's '**_Beauty And The Beast' _** and Brigit's '**_The Hidden Kingdom_**' are both so popular right now, you two would probably be the hit of the party if you just came as you are." Jenny gave Catherine her most winning smile. "Nancy and I would both love to see you there."

Diana piped in. "You and Vincent should definitely go."

Catherine thought about it. "I'll talk to Vincent and Father about it but I think we will be able to make it." She looked thoughtful for a couple of minutes. "How many children could I bring?"

Jenny asked. "How many of that age group are living in the tunnels right now?"

Catherine thought for a moment then replied, "I think about eighteen"

Jenny smiled. "How about eighteen children plus three or four more adults."

Catherine was really warming up to the idea now. "That sounds great. I'll let you know as soon as I can make arrangements. I know the children will love it."

Jenny turned to Diana. "What about you? There's room for more."

Diana shook her head. "Sounds great but I already have other plans" She smiled. "Thanks anyway." Then she looked down at her watch. "Damn, I think I've been stood-up."

"Boyfriend troubles again?" Catherine asked.

"Naw. I was supposed to meet a witness here about thirty minutes ago." Diana replied.

Jenny spoke up. "Since your on your own, why don't you shift over here to our table."

Diana accepted the offer and the rest of the lunch was spent discussing Catherine's up-coming big event. When the subject came around to Diana's latest boyfriend she admitted that she and Joe had been seeing each other for a while now. She also told them that it still hadn't gone any further than the friendly dating stage.

Diana explained, "Joe is really great but I didn't think ether one of us see the other as permanent match material." She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I'm still looking for another Vincent."

Jenny laughed. "Aren't we all."

Catherine remarked. "Well, mine is already taken, but some day I'm sure you each will find your own Vincent."

**_Continued in Part 4_**

_( rev 130529 )_

* * *

'_**Beauty and the Beast'**__ and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given._


	4. The Circle Expands

**A New Life_  
_**_by Thomas Mc_

* * *

**Part ****4 : The Circle Expands**

It was Halloween again. For Catherine and Vincent it was the most magical time of the year. It was the one day they could walk together in the world above without fear of being seen. Last year they had still been too worried about the fallout from the Spirco disaster and the Gabriel affair to chance being seen in public. This year had been relatively quiet in contrast and they felt safe in venturing out into public again. Even Father was beginning to mellow out a bit. Catherine was convinced that he was too busy worrying about her pregnancy to think about their Halloween date tradition.

Catherine looked at herself in the mirror. The long golden gown was a perfect match to the one from the ballroom scene of Disney's **_Beauty And The Beast_** and it had been smartly tailored to conceal the thickening around her middle. Vincent in his long blue coat and ruffled shirt looked a lot like the movie, even if he did look more like a lion than a bull. Even the small horns she had found in a small costume shop did nothing to obscure the overall leonine look. Catherine, personally, thought he looked magnificent. Vincent had loved the idea of the party at Jenny's work and Father had even approved of it. With some serious lobbying, including the connivance of the children, Catherine had even talked Jacob into going to the party with them. "To keep an eye on the children."

A small decorative lamp by the bed flickered as though the bulb was about to go out. Each floor of the house had a few special lamps like this one. Glancing over at it momentarily, Catherine announced, "The children are here." She smiled at Vincent then reached out and pressed the concealed button on the lamp base, signaling that all was clear and it was safe to come up as well as releasing the lock on the lower entrance door. Turning the more obvious switch near the top of the lamp would have signaled that it was not safe to come up.

Vincent went down to the parlor and opened the secret inside door just as the children arrived. There were a total of sixteen of the tunnel kids, all dressed in their Halloween costumes and chatting excitedly. There were also four adult escorts from the tunnels. Jamie was adorable dressed as Tinker belle and Jacob had, on Catherine's recommendation (insistence), come as Beauty's Father from the Disney movie. Little Naomi was dressed as an animated candelabra. Cullen and Mary were dressed as Frankenstein's monster and the bride of Frankenstein.

Jamie looked Vincent over and grinned. "Great costume Vincent."

As Catherine reached the bottom of the stairs there was a knock at the Door. Vincent smiled, "That must be Nancy and her family."

As they went to answer the door Catherine couldn't help but wonder what the rest of Nancy's family would make of Vincent's 'costume'. Vincent opened the door. Nancy and Paul were dressed as D'Artagnan and Constance from **The Three Musketeers**. Nancy's son Robert, dressed as a pirate, was staring up with open mouthed fascination at Vincent. Her daughter, Cindy, was dressed as a fairy. Paul also appeared to be fascinated by Vincent.

Vincent stepped back. "Come in Jenny, Paul, we should be ready to go in just a few minutes." Then he kneeled down. "And good evening to you, too, Robert, Cindy. Catherine has told me a great deal about you two. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Both children were totally enthralled by Vincent. Cindy tentatively reached out to touch Vincent's furred hand. Robert just stared.

Nancy smiled. "Vincent, it's good to see you again."

Paul commented to Vincent. "Your costume is incredible Vincent. Unfair though. I finally get to meet you and I still don't know what you look like."

Catherine responded. "Yes, but I think he looks pretty good just the way he is now."

Paul noticed that both Nancy and Catherine seemed very amused about something. Well maybe they would let him in on the joke later. He was also amused at the way his son and daughter were both bowled over by Vincent.

Once inside Vincent and Catherine introduced everyone. The tunnel children were introduced as orphans which wasn't really a lie since over half of them were. Father was introduced as Jacob, Vincent's adopted father.

Vincent gathered all the children together to address them. "Now I expect all of you to be on your best behavior. This is a very special party given by the people that have supplied you with all those wonderful books recently. We will be going to their place of business. So you want to make a good impression."

The children were paired up in a buddy system, one older child with one younger one. Once everyone was organized they set out for the party. Catherine had arranged for three vans from a local limousine service to supply transportation.

~ o ~

Joe had just stopped at a traffic light, on his way to a party at a Diana Bennett's house, when three vans pulled up to the large building across from him. The first person out of the lead van was a large man dressed in the most impressive lion man beast costume he had ever seen. For some reason he thought the horns on the beast's head just didn't seem right. Then right behind the beast, stepped out Beauty in the golden ball gown.

With a start he realized that the Beauty was Catherine Chandler. Then each van produced two more adults. Next all three vans disgorged a large number of young children. He knew Catharine had a soft spot for children so he guessed that this was just the type of thing she would be involved in. Well at least he now knew why Catherine had said that she had other commitments when he asked if she would be at Diana's party.

It took him a moment to realize that the light had turned green and just as he pulled away he noticed that Catherine and the 'Beast' were holding hands and seemed to be very close. Great! He finally sees Catherine's mystery man and he still didn't know who he was or even what he looked like. As Joe continued down the street he thought she looked very happy and that was good. Then he chuckled to himself. Tomorrow morning aught to be interesting when he commented about it to Catherine.

~ o ~

When Catherine's group arrived at the party they were enthusiastically greeted by Jenny and her bosses. All together, there were about a hundred and fifty children and there were forty-five adults at the party. There were all types of games, including all of the Halloween classics, a balloon clown, a magician, a woman doing face painting and a large buffet of fruits and good food. The company had really gone all out for this party.

The children all loved Catherine and Vincent as Beauty and The Beast, and Jacob also attracted several children when he started telling Halloween stories to some of them. All of the adults were also impressed with Catherine and Vincent's costumes. Nancy's children, Robert and Cindy, as well as Naomi, hung around Vincent most of the time they were there. Less than an hour into the party Vincent became annoyed at the way the horns wouldn't stay in place and decided to ditch them. He settled for giving them to one of the children that had begun hanging around him and Catherine.

After a while Vincent picked up the book of children's tales by Brigit O'Donnell and started reading to a small group of the younger children, that had collected around him, to keep them entertained. As he continued to read more and more of the children and some of the parents wandered over to listen, drawn to him by the sound of his voice. Soon Catherine came over and joined Vincent's group. The parents were just as enthralled as their children, as Catherine and Vincent took turns reading while on the other side of the room Jacob continued telling Halloween tales. Through out the rest of the evening the three of them entertained an ever changing group with stories of all kinds.

While Jenny was standing near Jacob and listening to him tell of the headless horseman, one of the top executives came up to her. "How in the world did you get those three? They're incredible. The one thing I was unable to get for the party was a good storyteller. They've helped make this party into the biggest success we've ever had. . . Especially with Beauty and the Beast reading from our hottest new children's book."

One of the other adults standing nearby asked, pointing to the other side of the room, "Isn't that woman, reading over there, Catherine Chandler the heiress?"

Jenny hesitated a moment and the executive she had been talking to jumped in and answered. "Of course. That's why she looked familiar. That **is** Catherine Chandler."

"What about the others with her and all those children they brought to the party?" The woman asked.

Jenny replied with the response that had been previously agreed upon. "The other adults are friends of hers and the children are orphans that they are taking out as a Halloween treat." Then Jenny added. "Cathy has always had a soft spot for children."

The woman wandered over to listen to Catherine and Vincent reading another of the stories from Brigit's book.

Eventually it was time for the party to break up. As everyone was leaving several people came up and complimented Vincent on his remarkable costume. They also complemented Catherine, Vincent and Jacob on their wonderful storytelling. As they were gathering the tunnel children together the company's general manager came up to them and thanked them for coming.

"You three were wonderful. The children loved you, and I would like to personally thank-you for making this party such a huge success." He reached out to shake their hands. When he took Vincent's hand he remarked. "Incredible costume. You look so real. You're welcome back any time."

When the manager walked away, Jenny told them that she couldn't leave yet but she would stop by later.

Finally they got all the children herded together and headed out to where the vans waited. As they gathered beside the vans, a quick nose count revealed that they had one extra child. The girl had apparently been fascinated by the beast and had followed them outside. Vincent took the little girl's hand and headed back into the building while the rest piled into the vans. Her hand firmly gripped in his, the little girl was happily skipping along beside him as he led her back into the building. When he got back inside he announced. "I think we ended up with one extra." The child's parents, who had been frantically searching for her, ran up to him.

After the parents thanked him, Vincent turned to go and the little girl started crying that she wanted to go with Beast.

Vincent turned back around and knelt in front of the girl. "Don't cry little one. I will always be around. All you have to do is read about me and I will be right there in your imagination." He patted her head and smiled at her, his fangs just barely peeking out. As he stood up he told the parents. "She'd probably love Brigit O'Donnell's new book." Then he turned to leave. He heard them asking about that book as he went through the door and grinned.

When he got back to the van he was chuckling and Catherine looked at him. "Well?"

Vincent looked at her bemused. "She cried because I was going away." Then he grinned.

Catherine just looked at him for a second then broke out laughing as the van pulled away.

Jamie who was in the van with them commented. "You're just too irresistible." As Vincent rolled his eyes.

Catherine was still chuckling when they got out at their home.

Nancy asked what was so funny so Catherine told her what had happened and what Vincent had said. This caused both Jenny and Nancy to break into giggles. Jacob, who knew about the incident with the crying girl when Vincent was young, also found it very amusing.

Once they were back in Catherine's place, the children went down to the basement where snacks and some board games had been set up. Jamie, Cullen and Mary went down to watch over the children. The rest sat in the living room and talked about the party. Catherine brought out drinks and snacks for everyone just as Jenny arrived.

Once again Paul commented on Vincent's costume. "I'm somewhat of a fan of movie creature makeup and I just can't get over how real your costume looks. The claws, the fur, it's all so perfect. The facial appliances and make-up are so realistic and natural looking; even better than what I often see in the movies. It must have taken you a long time to put it on. And how in the world do you manage to eat while wearing it and not have some of it come loose. That has always been a problem for Hollywood."

This set the girls to giggling again. Catherine finally spoke. "Vincent, Father, we have got to tell him before he drives himself crazy trying to figure out how Vincent does it." And then she was laughing at the puzzled look on Paul's face.

Jenny spoke to Jacob. "Father, I know Paul can be trusted with this." Nancy was nodding in agreement.

Jacob shrugged. "It's up to Vincent." He had been half expecting this development all night.

Vincent smiled, exposing his four sharp fangs. "Actually, Paul, it's taken me all my life to get this look."

Nancy chuckled and took over. "Vincent looks so real because it's **not** a costume or make-up."

Catherine finished. "Vincent was born like this. No one really knows why. You are seeing him as he really is. I think you can understand why we work so hard to keep his existence a secret."

Paul looked stunned for a long time as he processed this revelation while looked from one person to another for confirmation. Finally he regained his voice as he looked at his wife. "Now I understand a lot of things that didn't make sense before." He looked very thoughtfully at Catherine. "You're right. If his existence were known, he would not be safe." He looked at Vincent with a lopsided grin. "I'm enough of a sci-fi fan to understand all the possible consequences." He shook his head as he gazed more closely at Vincent. "But how do you keep out of sight the rest of the year."

Vincent replied. "That takes a little bit of explaining. There is a small secluded community that knows about me. That is where I was raised by Father." He indicated Jacob who was sitting opposite from him. "This brownstone has direct underground access to that community."

Paul looked a little uncertain as he worked out how to ask his next question. "I hope you don't mind me asking this, . . . but . . . just how close to human are you?"

Catherine answered. "He's human enough that a few days ago we found out that we are going to have twins."

Jacob sputtered for a couple of moments then, "Twins?!" came out nearly an octave higher than his normal voice.

Nancy's eyes went wide. "Twins! Cathy, Vincent that's wonderful. Congratulations."

Paul turned to Nancy. "Honey, you certainly have the most interesting friends." He turned to Catherine and Vincent. "Cathy I know how much family means to you and I wish you both all the luck in the world." He looked flustered. "One more question. If you don't mind me asking, what about the children's appearance?"

By now Jacob had himself back under control and he became intent on their answer. This was something that he had yet to hear any discussion on.

Catherine responded to that. "We don't know yet which side of the family they will take after." She looked at Vincent with a soft smile. "We know Vincent couldn't have been more than a day or so old when he was found and there were no indications that he had been altered in any way, so his appearance has to be genetic and therefore can be passed on to his offspring." She shrugged her shoulders. "If they look like Vincent . . ." She stretched out her hand, smiling, and tenderly touched Vincent's cheek. ". . . they will be raised in his world. If they look like me, they will be raised in both worlds but their early education will still be in Vincent's world." She looked at Jacob as she continued. "Vincent and Father's world is a far better place to raise a young child." She looked back at Paul. "All those children we took to the party, come from their little community."

"I can understand that." Paul commented. "You know, the two things I noticed most about those kids, was that they were all fairly well behaved and they all were happy even though they were orphans."

They sat around for about another hour talking about old times and the possible future, then Nancy and Paul decided it was time to gather up their kids to head home. Catherine invited them to stay the night, to avoid that long drive home so late at night. They accepted and their children were bedded down in one of the second floor bedrooms. Jacob, gathered the tunnel kids and they all headed down to their home in the tunnels. Jenny headed home as well.

Catherine turned to Nancy and Paul. "Vincent and I are going to go for a walk in the park. You're welcome to come with us, if you would like."

Jamie, who had stayed behind, piped in. "I can watch the kids for you while you're out."

Paul and Nancy finally agreed. The four of them went across the street for a romantic stroll in the park. Catherine and Vincent walked along hand in hand, enjoying the night. Several paces back, Nancy and Paul were also walking hand in hand, enjoying the romantic atmosphere. It had been a long time since they had enjoyed a simple romantic walk through the park. Nancy was silently thanking Catherine for presenting them with this opportunity.

While they were walking along a path that ran close to the street, Joe drove by on his way home from Diana's party. Joe saw them as he passed by and wondered if Catherine's companion was the mysterious Vincent whose name he had heard her cry out on three separate occasions. Well whatever his name, Joe decided that if that guy could make Catherine look that happy then he approved. But damn, it was frustrating not knowing what he really looked like under that mask.

~ BB ~

In the newspaper the next day there was another article by Thomas Johnson about the heiress Catherine Chandler that took twenty odd orphans to a Halloween party at a publishing house. It told how she and two other friends had become the hit of the party by reading stories to all the children. The article told a little bit about her history and about her work in the DA's office family division. It also noted that she contributed a lot to the various city orphanages and Children's organizations.

When Catherine read the article she realized that it had been written by the same reporter that had written about the Brigit O'Donnell incident. She had not seen him at the party but he must have been there. Paul, Nancy, Vincent and Catherine sat around the breakfast table discussing the article.

Paul commented, "Cathy, you are definitely going to have to watch your step around that guy. He is showing way too much interest in your activities." He shook his head. "If he keeps snooping around you he could stumble across Vincent, and that could be disastrous."

Catherine nodded looking a bit worried. "I know. Once before a reporter got frighteningly close. We were both scared to death that Vincent would be exposed."

"What happened?" Paul asked.

Catherine's brow furrowed as she shook her head. "We're not really sure but we think he ran afoul of a very evil man, that called himself Paracelsus, and was killed."

Soon it was time for Paul and Catherine to head off to their respective jobs. Nancy, waited till her children were finally awake and did a little shopping before finally heading home.

As she passed Joe's office, on the way to her desk, he called to her. "Hey Radcliffe."

She stopped and leaned on his door frame. "Morning Joe, what's happening." She replied.

"That's not fair you know, I finally see you with your guy and he's in that Beast costume. You two did make a perfect Beauty And The Beast." Joe grinned. "When will I get to meet him."

Catherine looked at him surprised. Then she covered. "He was wearing a costume?" She grinned. "I thought he just hadn't shaved recently."

"That, or your married to an alien." Joe retorted.

Catherine fired back. "Well now that you mention it I have always thought there was something just a little bit different about him but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Be careful, Joe, he might zap you with his ray-gun."

Catherine headed to her desk chuckling to herself. Then she was momentarily stunned to realize that Joe had said 'married' and she had let it slip by. Well, it was too late now to deny it. Meanwhile Joe just looked at her retreating back and wondered. She hadn't denied being married. He was sure that he was right, but there was still something that she was not telling. Well their little game was far from over. He still did not know who she was married to . . . yet.

~ BB ~

"Before we attack this exceptional bounty . . ." Vincent raised his head as Father continued beyond the traditional Thanksgiving ritual. "I feel more than the usual degree of gratitude is in order. Never since the founding of our community has a single year given us so much to be thankful for. Releasing Vincent's hand, he raised his glass. "To Vincent and Catherine, who this year made their dream, and ours, come true."

Recognizing Vincent's mild discomfiture at being the center of attention, Catherine squeezed his hand before releasing it to pick up her glass. Turning to Father, she smiled with disarming sweetness and raised her glass to him in turn. "I'm so glad it's turned into 'our' dream, I remember, not too long ago, when it was your nightmare." And started to giggle.

William laughed so hard that he almost dropped the massive turkey he was carefully lowering onto the well-laden table. As laughter rippled around the tables, Father protested feebly while several people gleefully repeated many of his more ill-advised remarks concerning the potentially disastrous consequences of his son's relationship with a particular outsider. Having set the pigeon firmly among the cats, Catherine spoke up again. "I would like to make an announcement." The room quickly quieted down. "Most of you already know that we are expecting a new addition to the family." This pronouncement brought a round of cheers. "What many of you don't know yet is that just last month Dr. Peter informed me that I'm expecting twins."

Peter leaned over to Catherine's other side. "You sure know how to create pandemonium. Don't you."

Catherine smiled back. "Daddy used to say it was my greatest talent." She grinned back with satisfaction and began helping herself to stuffing. Actually, Jacob, Mary and Jamie were the only members of the tunnel community, besides Vincent, that knew about it, and they had agreed to keep it secret till she announced it on Thanksgiving. This announcement caused the hall to breakout in general pandemonium as everybody wanted to congratulate Vincent and Catherine. Catherine began to nonchalantly dig into her food like she had just announced the weather.

Vincent leaned over to kiss her ear before whispering into it. "Remind me to give thanks that I married such a quick witted and intelligent woman."

"Of course, dear." She patted his knee. "I didn't get into Columbia Law School just because daddy could afford the tuition."

As the room settled down to the normal Thanksgiving hubbub, Vincent looked around the room with profound gratitude. Cullen was grimacing at one of Peter's notoriously bad jokes. Sebastian was teasing Pascal by making his fork disappear. Lena was trying unsuccessfully to convince little Cathy that food should be eaten with a fork rather than with the fingers. Mouse and Jamie were hatching some new project or, possibly, based on the way she blushed, discussing something more intimate. This past year had been the happiest of his life. Within months of last Thanksgiving, he had managed to acquire a lover, a home, and a wife. Catherine's insistence on transferring to a less dangerous section of the DA's office, and the acquisition of the brownstone that was such a safe haven had also made this the most peaceful year he had spent since meeting her.

Jacob also looked around the room, deep in thought. Everyone Below benefited greatly from Catherine's presence. Ever since Catherine had become a Helper, their Thanksgiving feast and Winterfest Banquet seemed to grow more massive each year. Jacob was suspicious, but William was decidedly unforthcoming on the source of such increasing bounty, and he didn't want to ask. He really couldn't complain. She had carefully restricted her largess to the pantry and an occasionally extravagant Christmas present. She also always managed to have a scholarship available for any child from Below that wanted to attend college. Catherine had insured that the community prospered without interfering with it's essential character. He smiled to himself. And she certainly made things more lively when she was around.

After the last of the clean-up detail made off with the remnants, guests and residents began to move around the room, talking and greeting old friends.

Catherine caught Jacob alone for a few minutes. "Father may I talk to you for a minute?" she asked almost shyly.

"Sure Catherine, what can I do for you?" he responded.

"I was just wondering what you thought about possibly inviting Jenny and Nancy to Winterfest this year?" She looked at him hopefully.

"What about Nancy's husband?" He raised his eyebrows.

She thought for a second. "I would really like Jenny and Nancy to see Winterfest. It's just that I'm unsure what the protocols are." She paused. "And I know that Nancy would like to bring Paul along if she could but I know that I was already asking a lot."

Jacob smiled at Catherine. "I have already talked to the others about this and we all thought it was about time Jenny and Nancy were invited. And I think it's only fair that Paul come along as well." He took her hand. "Jenny has already become an important part of our community and I have become very fond of Nancy's husband since last Halloween. The way he reacted to Vincent impressed me. Naturally, you should be the one to deliver the invitations."

Catherine gave him a huge hug and thanked him. Then she went over to talk to Rebecca about the candles. Rebecca said that she would have three candles ready for her by Sunday. Then Catherine went over to spend time with Vincent and Sebastian.

Catherine had been successful in clearing up most of her work load and was able to forget about the world Above for the Thanksgiving holidays. Wednesday night, she prepared countless vegetables for the thanksgiving feast and helped decorate the dining hall. Thursday, Catherine and Vincent attended a Thanksgiving play put on by the children. Together, they led a marathon reading of Brigit O'Donnell's new book **_The Hidden Kingdom_** . Friday, Catherine played a game of chess with Father and lost. On Friday evening, she and Vincent escaped to the waterfall cavern for a picnic and a little playful skinny dipping. Saturday, she helped Rebecca make Winterfest candles including the three for Jenny, Nancy and Paul. And every night she made love with Vincent. It was a wonderful four days.

The only fly in the ointment was that on Monday morning, Catherine would be asking Joe for five months leave of absence. She still didn't know how she was going to present it. It would be interesting to see what Joe's reaction would be.

~ BB ~

Monday morning Catherine got a leave-of-absence request form and filled it out. She requested five months starting December twenty-first. As it was, she was pushing things really close, with her expanding middle that was getting harder to hide, but five was the most she could request without additional special request documentation. She still didn't know what she would say if he asked for an explanation. Their little 'Mystery of Catherine' guessing games were one thing, but she didn't like the idea of telling Joe an outright lie. When she had finally screwed up her nerve, she walked into Joe's office.

Joe looked up. "Morning Radcliffe, what's up?"

"I know this may not be the best time, but it can not be helped," she said as she handed him the form.

Joe looked at the form. Then he looked at Catherine. He could see by the look on her face, that she was dreading the inevitable questions. She had looked a little tired lately and Joe knew her well enough by now to know that she would never ask unless it was necessary. She was very dedicated, and she had been putting in a lot of extra hours. Then there was that recent incident with Brigit O'Donnell and the three assassins. All in all she had been through a lot in the last few years. She deserved a little rest now and then. Over the last four weeks Joe had noticed that she had definitely put on some extra weight, a little extra bulge, around the middle as well as a slight increase in bustyness. She had done a pretty good job of hiding it with baggier fashions, but Joe had been paying extra attention since that day she had nearly passed out in his office and had been aware of the changes. Also lately she had been happier and more easily tired as well as occasionally more irritable than was normal for her. To the very observant, all the signs were there that she was pregnant. And Joe was positive that she was secretly married, probably since last April. For the last couple of weeks or so Joe had been expecting this.

Joe signed the form almost like it was just a minor expense account request. "OK Radcliffe" and handed it back. He didn't let go of it immediately when she started to take it. "Cathy, you will let me know if you need more time." Then he released his grip on the form.

"Than you, Joe." she said quietly

As she started to turn away he added, "And remember, I will always be here for you if you need anything."

She stopped and turned back, her eyes glistening. "I know that, Joe, and I really appreciate it." She smiled at him and left his office.

As she made her way back to her desk she didn't know what to make of Joe's reaction. He hadn't even batted an eye when he signed it. He even told her she could have more time if she needed it. And the dreaded question 'Why?' had never come up. It was as though he knew that she didn't want to have to answer it. And his voice had carried obvious concern for her. She wanted so much to explain everything to him. Maybe someday.

As Catherine walked out of Joe's office he couldn't help noticing that though she looked tired and a bit anxious, there seemed to be an under current of joy lurking just below the surface. Well whatever, he would make due for five or six months. He didn't really begrudge her the time and if his suspicions were correct she would need all of it. He hadn't said anything about his suspicions, deciding to wait until she had relaxed before he zinged her with his latest guess but now was not the time. Now it was more important that he give her his support and incurious acceptance. He was, however, looking forward to seeing her reaction when he did drop his bombshell.

~ BB ~

By Wednesday the verdicts in the car theft ring trials, had all come in as guilty. Now that they were safe, Billy, Henry and their families would be able to return to their own homes. Catherine told them that there was no hurry and they were welcome to stay until after New Years if they wished.

She also gave them some box seat tickets to a currently popular Broadway show. The box was large enough to accommodate both families. They were part of a renewable season pass that she had inherited from her father. Though she rarely went any more, she kept them so that she could let friends use them. She had let Joe use them twice to impress his dates and she had even taken some people from the tunnels a few times.

She told the two boy's families they could think of it as an extended, expense paid, holiday. Sort of a thank you for all they had done.

~ BB ~

The following Friday Catherine called Jenny and invited her over for dinner. After dinner she and Vincent brought out one of the Winterfest candles she had made with Rebecca last week.

"Oh, Catherine that candle is so beautiful." Jenny sighed as Catherine set it on the table. "Where did you get it?" Jenny had developed an affection for candles while living with Catherine at Radcliffe College. "Where can I get one?"

Catherine smiled. "It was made in the tunnels. As far as getting one, This candle is yours." Catherine handed the candle over to Jenny. "But this candle is more than just a gift. It is also an invitation." Jenny was holding the candle her eyes alight with curiosity. Catherine continued. "That candle is a Winterfest candle." Catherine smiled. "That candle is an invitation to celebrate Winterfest with all of us in the tunnel community."

Jenny looked at Vincent and Catherine. "I remember hearing that term mentioned a couple of times during your wedding reception but what is it?"

Vincent took over. "Each year on December twenty-first we hold a celebration. We call it Winterfest and it is held to allow all of us to gather with our helpers from Above. It's a celebration of renewal and hope and a way to say thank you to those that have helped us make it through the year. Winterfest is held in that same hall where we had our wedding reception."

Catherine again spoke. "This year we've added you, Nancy and Paul to the list of helpers and we are inviting you to celebrate Winterfest with the rest of us."

"I would love to come." Jenny smiled. "Actually I think inviting Paul and Nancy might be just the ticket. You know, their anniversary was coming up soon and just last week Nancy told me that she felt like Paul and her had been getting into a rut. She's afraid the fire is beginning to go out of their marriage. This could be just the spark they need." Then Jenny laughed, her eyes dancing. "Cathy have you noticed that lately when you refer to the tunnel community you no longer say 'them', you say 'us'. . ."

Catherine looked startled at this revelation then smiled. "Yea, ain't it grand."

~ BB ~

On Saturday Catherine drove up to visit Nancy and Paul. For a while they just talked. They talked about the children and about last Halloween. Both children asked about Vincent. Paul also asked about how Vincent was doing and how her pregnancy was coming along. Finally Catherine presented them with a long slender box. "I brought this for you both."

Nancy opened the box and took out the two candles. "These candles are lovely. I've never seen anything quite like them."

Catherine smiled. "Those candles are very special. They are more than just a gift." Nancy and Paul looked at her expectantly. "Those candles are an invitation to the Winterfest celebration."

Nancy was the first to ask. "I remember hearing someone call the place where we held your wedding reception the Winterfest Hall. What is Winterfest?"

Catherine smiled at the memory of her wedding. "It's a very special celebration we have down Below every year on December twenty-first. And the entire community would like to invite you both to come. I can promise you that you will have a wonderful time and it will give Paul a chance to see where Vincent grew up."

Paul responded. "That sounds fascinating. I've been dying to see these tunnels ever since you told me about them. Tell me more about this Winterfest thing. What time would we have to be there?"

"We normally start gathering at around six o'clock and the procession starts at seven. Winterfest actually originated many years ago when the community was very new. It was intended as a way for all the members of the community and their helpers and friends from Above to get together and renew their friendship. It let them all get to know each other all over again. It's a big party." Catherine took Nancy's and Paul's hands in hers. "I really want you both there with Vincent and me. You are also welcome to stay the night at our place. The festivities usually run very late and it will save you from the long tired drive home late at night."

Nancy responded, "Paul's mother has offered to take the kids for a week for our anniversary that's coming up soon." Nancy smiled at Paul. "That sounds perfect. We'll be there."

It was decided that Nancy and Paul would meet her and Vincent at the Chandler Residence around five o'clock on the twenty-first.

She reminded them. "Don't forget to bring your candles with you. They are also your pass to get in and they are a very important part of the opening ceremony."

~ BB ~

It was December the twentieth, the last day before Catherine began her leave of absence. For the last few days her work load had been unusually light. She suspected that it was Joe's doing. By lunchtime her desk was just about cleared. Catherine was getting hungry and trying to decide where to have lunch when Joe walked up to her desk.

"Hey, Radcliffe, how about lunch. My treat." Joe smiled as he sat on the corner of her desk.

Catherine smiled back. "Why sure Joe, I'd love to. I must warn you, I'm extremely hungry today."

Joe winked at her. "That's Okay. I'll just charge it to the city as a business lunch."

Joe took her out to a nicer restaurant than she had expected and got them seated in a nice quiet booth. They talked about office gossip and Joe told her that he would miss her and would keep her desk ready for her return. True to her word she did eat a large meal. Joe seemed amused by her appetite. He didn't talk about what she might be doing during her leave at all during lunch. In fact Catherine was amazed at Joe's total lack of curiosity about it since the day she had requested it. She didn't know if she should be grateful or worried.

During desert Joe asked. "Do you know a reporter named Thomas Johnson?"

The question and the name startled her. "I've read his stuff. Why?"

"Well last night he came by my place wanting to interview me." Joe's face became serious. "He wanted to know about you. He asked a lot of questions about your work at the DA's office but he also asked a lot of questions about your upcoming LOA. How he learned about it I don't know." Joe reached over and patted her hand, an almost unconscious action that she had long ago recognized as his way of expressing concern.

Catherine was very disturbed by this development though she tried to keep her response light. "What deep dark secrets of mine did you tell him?"

"Basically, I told him you were one of the best people I had working for me. As far as your job, I told him pretty much what he could find in public records. As far as your private life, I said that you preferred to keep your private life private and if he wanted to know about that he would have to ask you. This guy is a pretty damn good reporter so you be careful. I just thought you should know about it." He gave her hand a quick squeeze and let go.

Once they were back at the office Joe brought her into his office. "Cathy, since your desk is already so clean why don't you go ahead home and get an early start on your vacation. I know how important winter solstice is to you. Which reminds me, you still have six weeks of saved up vacation time left over from last year that has to be used up before this summer. Why don't you add it to your L.O.A. That will give you a whole six and a half months off instead of just the five month L.O.A. maximum that they allow."

"That would be wonderful Joe but are you sure that it would be Okay to do that?" Catherine was surprised and pleased at Joe's generosity. She had requested the maximum normally allowed without giving a specific reason. She could have requested the six month maternity leave but she didn't want that kind of information in her record. It would create too many questions and complications, especially when they still didn't know what the babies would look like. She fought to control the emotions she could feel the welling up inside her and she was half afraid she would start crying in front of Joe.

"It's no trouble at all. I can fix the paperwork to make it all nice and correct." His smile widened a bit. "I think I can hold this place together that long without you. It's the only way you can get that much time off without having to give a reason." Joe was now grinning at her like a Cheshire Cat. "That way you can get your maternity leave without telling anyone.

Catherine was so startled she flopped down onto his sofa and nearly fell out of it. The calm control she usually maintained when they sparred like this finally deserted her and she started to cry.

Joe was out of his chair and on the sofa beside her in an instant. "I'm sorry Cathy, I didn't mean to upset you so."

"I'm sorry Joe." Catherine got herself under control. "There's so much I want to tell you." She wiped her eyes with the tissue Joe handed her. "There's so much I have to keep secret. It's not fair to keep so much from you but good people depend on my discretion."

"Well don't worry about it. Besides the 'Solve the Mystery of Cathy' game is too much fun for you to give up now. I hope I get to meet your family some day. Now get out of here and I'll expect to see you back in six or seven months." Joe waved her out the door and went back to his desk.

As Catherine left Joe's office she wondered just how much she should let Joe in on. His maternity remark had certainly rattled her, coming out of left field like that and her shaky emotional state hadn't helped. Was that why he hadn't quizzed her about her leave? How much did he already know. Whatever his reasons, the extra time was appreciated. And it was almost a relief that Joe knew about her pregnancy and understood.

Joe watched Catherine gather her things together and head out of the office. Her reaction to his 'maternity leave' crack had been unexpected. It had been the feather that broke the dam when she was already on the emotional edge. It might be very interesting to see what changes six months would make. He would certainly miss her. He just hoped she took his warning about that reporter seriously.

~ BB ~

The day of the Winter solstice had begun bright and clear. Vincent had gone below to help get the great hall ready for the celebration. Catherine had been busy arranging to get all the food delivered to William. By five Catherine was waiting when Nancy and Paul arrived.

"Where's Vincent?" Paul asked. "I'm still trying to convince myself that last Halloween was real." He had not seen Vincent since the Halloween Party at Jenny's company. "I was looking forward to seeing him to prove to myself I wasn't dreaming."

Catherine smiled. "He's helping get the Great Hall ready for the celebration. As soon as Jenny gets here we'll start down. Vincent will meet us at the Well's residence."

Paul looked confused. "The what?"

"That's what we call Vincent's old chambers Below." She grinned. "Now it's sort of our weekend getaway. This place, our home Above, we call the Chandler residence. That's how we identify them."

There was a knock at the door announcing Jenny's arrival. Once she was inside Catherine made sure every one had their candles then opened the secret doorway from the parlor to the Tunnel Access. Nancy was surprised when a section of the wall swung back to expose a hidden stairway. She knew this place had access to the tunnels but this was the first time she had seen the hidden door. Paul was simply flabbergasted by it.

Catherine grinned at Paul. "This is why I chose this place. The access space was already here. All Mouse, Jamie and Cullen had to do was build the stairway and the hidden doors down in the tunnel access. Each floor has a hidden door to this stairway. Actually it was Nancy that first suggested the idea for this place."

"Really!" Paul looked at his wife, one eyebrow raised. "I always knew you were very ingenious," causing her to blush and giggle. Then he gave her a kiss.

Paul was amazed at the ingenuity of the door and had to stop for a minute to examine the mechanism. The closer they got to their destination the more amazed Paul became. When they arrived at the 'Wells' chambers, Vincent was already there waiting for them.

Paul looked at Vincent in bemused amazement. "I had become half convinced that you weren't real, but here you are, big as life. It's great to see you again Vincent."

Vincent took Paul's hand. "Welcome to our weekend retreat."

As he looked around Paul noticed the painting of Vincent and Catherine by Kristopher Gentian. "My boss at work bought two Gentian paintings from that show you and Jenny arranged. Last month he had to up the insurance on them because they're already worth nearly twenty times what he paid for them. And there you sit with a true unknown Gentian." He shook his head in amazement.

Once everyone was organized, Vincent led them to Fathers chambers, where he picked up Father and a few others, then to the dining hall where the rest of the community was gathering. From there Vincent led the whole community down past Elizabeth's painted tunnels, where the procession seemed to naturally slow down a bit. Paul's head kept swiveling from side to side as they passed from one amazing scene to the next.

Nancy leaned over to Paul. "The first and only time I saw all this was when I came down for Catherine's wedding. This is the first time I've seen the wedding pictures." She squeezed Paul's hand as she pointed to them. "Beautiful aren't they."

" They are absolutely incredible." Paul whispered as he stared at them wide eyed and recognized his wife's face in one of the four wedding pictures.

Once they reached the great windy chasm outside the main doors to the Great Hall, Vincent handed his candle to Catherine, removed the massive bar from the doors and pushed them open. Catherine faced her friends. "Just follow my lead and don't worry about how dark it is at first. It's part of the opening ceremony."

Catherine led her friends over to one of the tables and had them sit together next to hers and Vincent's seats while Vincent stood by the main doors. Once everyone else was seated, Vincent pushed the great doors closed and the room was plunged into darkness with the exception of one candle at the children's table. All of the whispering had ceased and the only sound was the rustling of Vincent's clothes and finally the scraping of his chair as Vincent made his way to his seat between Catherine and Father. Then light flared as Vincent lit Fathers candle.

Father's voice rang out clearly. "The world above us is cold and gray. Summer, a distant memory. Our world, too, has known its winters. So each year we begin this feast in darkness, as our world began in darkness . . ."

Vincent and Mary reached over and lit their candles from Fathers then Catherine and Peter lit their candles from Vincent's and Mary's as Vincent took up the narrative. "Long before the city above us raised its towers to the sky, men sought shelter in these caverns."

Mary began speaking as the candle flames were passed from one candle to the next. "In those days these tunnels were dark places and those who dwelt here dwelt in fear and isolation."

Vincent took over. "It was a land of lost hope, of twisted dreams, where the sounds of footsteps coming down a tunnel were the sounds of terror, where men reached for rocks and knives and worse at the sound of other men's voices."

Father again. "At last a few people learned to put aside their fear."

Slowly the Great Hall got brighter and brighter as the flame was spread from candle to candle. Catherine could feel a lump in her throat as the now familiar words washed over her.

Mary's turn. "And we began to trust each other, to help each other."

When Catherine looked over at her friends she could see the candle light glittering in their eyes. There was a single tear coming from the corner of Jenny's eyes. Paul was totally engrossed looking at each of the speakers as they spoke their lines. Nancy's eyes seemed to be following the leading edge of the flame as it was passed from candle to candle.

Catherine spoke next. "And each of us grew stronger, those that took the help and those that gave it." It had been Father who had suggested that she should take over this line in the opening ceremony this year. Now as she said the line, that had so much meaning to her personally, she felt chills run up her spine and a lump in her throat.

At this point, several people began lighting the candles in the lowered chandeliers as Father finished up. "We are all part of one another. One family, one community." There was a moment's pause. "Sometimes we forget this, so we meet here each year to give thanks to those who have helped us, and to remember. Even the greatest darkness is nothing so long as we share the light."

As they raised the now blazing chandeliers the whole room was dazzling as the mica and quartz in the rock walls glittered with reflected candle light. Paul looked around in awe at the sight. Even Jenny and Nancy who had already been here once before were effected by the sight.

Then father stood up. "Once again, the circle has expanded. We have several new friends here tonight and we are also here tonight to celebrate the impending arrival of two new members to our community all thanks to Catherine and Vincent. I want to tell you how welcome you are." This brought a round of applause from the rest and left Catherine and her friends blushing with appreciation as the food was brought in and passed around.

Nancy turned to Catherine. "Oh, Cathy, that was so beautiful."

Jenny added. "I thought I would never see anything as beautiful as your wedding . . . 'til now. You can imagine how much those words would mean to someone with my family background."

Paul chimed in. "That ceremony was so moving. I've never experienced anything like it."

Soon the feast was well underway and everyone was enjoying the excellent meal that William had prepared.

Jenny leaned over to Catherine and asked in a low voice. "How much of this meal is your doing."

Catherine replied in a low tone. "A lot more than I will ever admit to Father. I only supply the raw materials though. It's Williams's artistry that makes the meal so grand."

Once everyone had eaten their fill and the dishes cleared away, Vincent and several other men stacked most of the tables against the back wall. Only a few of the tables were left scattered around the periphery of the hall for games and resting. The stairs as usual become a refuge for those that just wanted to rest and observe the festivities. Soon Sebastian had acquired his usual following of children as he performed his magic tricks. Those with musical ability took their turns on the low stage by the stairs so that there was constant music throughout the evening.

Nancy and Paul shared several dances together over the course of the evening. Many of the young girls clamed Paul and Vincent for dances. Catherine and Vincent shared a couple of waltzes together. Paul also claimed Catherine for one slow waltz. Catherine found that she wore out quickly so she spent a lot of time hobnobbing on the stairs. Jenny even managed to get Jacob out onto the floor for one slow dance. Jenny also shared a few dances with Peter while Nancy danced with Vincent.

All night long people were coming up to congratulate Catherine and Vincent on the impending birth. Some even asked about names. Catherine and Vincent always told them that they would have to wait for the naming ceremony, which seemed to please them.

Catherine noticed that Jamie was looking particularly lovely in her bridesmaid dress from Catherine's wedding, and that she and Mouse were spending a lot of time holding hands and staying very close to each other.

During his dance with Catherine Paul thanked her for inviting them. "Cathy this is absolutely incredible. I haven't had such a wonderful time with Nancy in years. I can't tell you how much we both appreciate this." After the dance Paul went over to Jacob to thank him for allowing them to come, even thought they didn't really classify as helpers.

Nancy walked up to Catherine who was now resting by Sebastian and the children. "Cathy, I wish I could express to you how wonderful this night has been. I think it has actually brought Paul and I closer together than we've been for a long time." Then Paul came back over to claim Nancy for another dance.

Vincent came over and joined Catherine as she watched Sebastian perform his magic tricks. As he glanced over at her he saw a look of surprise flash across her face as she made a soft "oooh," sound.

" Is anything wrong?" he asked, concerned.

She looked up at him, grabbed his hand and smiling placed it against her belly. "Feel that?" she asked.

For a moment nothing . . . then movement. As a huge smile spread across her face, he realized, with a feeling of wonder, that he was feeling the babies moving inside her. Soon he was grinning so big his fangs were clearly displayed.

Those nearby noticed Catherine and Vincent's reactions and as they realized what was happening, they were all grinning, as well.

Sebastian, frowned at them and then announced petulantly, "Alright, that does it, I quit." Then he grinned. "There is no way my little parlor tricks can top that." Then he came over and gently touched Catherine's cheek. "Nothing I do can possibly top the kind of real magic that the two of you are performing." He marveled at the way their eyes were shining like four beacons of joy. "I'm so happy for you both. No two people ever deserved it more."

After a few minutes the babies settled down and Catherine drew Vincent out to the dance floor as the band began to play a waltz. Afterwards they retired to the stairs. By then word of the babies' movement had spread throughout the great hall and many came by to express their best wishes.

Later Nancy came over to the stairs and sat with Catherine. They talked for a little while about the art of raising children, then they went looking for Paul. They found him and Jacob deep in a game of chess, which soon ended in a stalemate. Father was extremely pleased with himself afterwards.

Towards midnight the party was beginning to wind down and Catherine pulled Vincent over to a quiet corner. "Vincent, do you know if the honeymoon suite is available tonight?" That was her name for the secluded chamber where they made love for the first time the night of last year's Winterfest. Just thinking about that night made her blush.

Vincent looked at her suspiciously. He could sense the rise of excitement in her, and the way she blushed was hard to miss. "Yes, I'm sure it is available. Why do you ask?"

Catherine got her most mischievous grin. "Paul and Nancy are getting tired and I just thought that they might enjoy spending the night there."

Vincent smiled back. "I think that is a great idea. Give me an hour to run up and get it prepared, then you can bring them up."

As soon as Vincent left, Catherine went over and told Jenny her plan for Nancy and Paul. Since her and Vincent decided that they would also stay below, she asked Jenny if she would like to stay below for the night as well.

Jenny loved it. "That's a wonderful idea. I think their marriage could use a little spark. And if you have a place for me I would love to stay below tonight also."

About an hour later Catherine gathered Jenny, Paul and Nancy. "Paul, Nancy, I know you were planning to stay at my place tonight but I thought you might like to spend the night in a special secluded chamber we have down here for couples to get away on their own. I call it the honeymoon suite. It even has it's own private bath and Jacuzzi."

Nancy looked at Paul, who nodded. "That sounds heavenly." She smiled and took Paul's hand. "Lead on, Cathy."

When they arrived Vincent was waiting. All the candles were alight and there were dried rose petals scattered on the floor and bed. Catherine suspected they were some of those they had saved from her stay here last year. Thinking about that night, she smiled up at Vincent and he smiled back at her, as the same memories ran through both of their minds.

The faces of both Nancy and Paul lit up as they beheld a magical scene of dancing candle light, in a room filled with the scent of warm candle wax and roses, dominated by a huge beautiful four poster bed. Like in the great Winterfest hall, the quartz and mica in the wall sparkled with the reflected light of the candles. Nancy looked at Paul then around at Catherine and Vincent, her eyes shinning with unshed tears. "Oh Cathy, Vincent, It's just too beautiful for words . . . Thank-you."

Paul put his arm around Nancy. "I definitely agree. Thanks."

After Catherine finished explaining about how the privacy rules worked down Below and how to find their way back to Father's library chamber and Vincent's chamber, Jenny, Catherine and Vincent left.

Once back at the party Jacob asked where Paul and Nancy had gone and Catherine told him about her honeymoon suite idea. Jacob thought it was a wonderful idea and told Catherine that she had a warm and caring heart.

Finally the celebration wound down and Jenny found herself in the center of a circle of those who had stayed to the bitter end. Father released Catherine's hand and reached out to Jenny. "Come join our circle. Become one of us." Catherine also held out her hand as they accepted Jenny into the expanded circle. Then Father spoke the words that officially closed Winterfest.

"Darkness is only the absence of light . . . and all winters must end."

Then after everyone was out, Vincent closed the great doors and placed the huge wooden bar across them.

Next they took Jenny to a currently free chamber near theirs and dropped her off. Then Catherine and Vincent went to their own weekend chambers and settled in for the night. Vincent and Catherine held each other as they lay there, reminiscing about their first night together as lovers. So much had happened since that night. She was in her lovers arms where she belonged and a sense of warm contentment, as profound as when they made love, enveloped her. All was right with the world.

Jenny lay in bed and was at peace with herself. All her friends were happy and safe and she knew that this night would do Paul and Nancy a world of good.

Paul and Nancy turned that night into the second honeymoon they had been wanting to take for some time now. As they finally drifted off to sleep they knew that they would remember this wonderful night for the rest of their lives together.

Everybody went to sleep that night, tired, happy, and very contented.

**_Continued in Part 5_**

_( rev 130529 )_

* * *

'_**Beauty and the Beast'**__ and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given._


	5. The Reporter

**A New Life_  
_**_by Thomas Mc_

* * *

**Part ****5 : The Reporter**

The morning after Winterfest, Catherine and Vincent awoke in each others arms. A contented languor filled them both as they each gazed into the eyes of their other half. It turned into a lazy morning of loving looks and gentle caresses. Eventually they both got up and went to find some breakfast.

Later, Catherine and Vincent wandered into Father's library. Vincent settled into Fathers large chair and picked up Brigit's book of collected short stories. Soon he was reading stories to Catherine who was now sitting in his lap, her head on his shoulder.

Jenny walked in and gave them a huge grin. "You two look comfortable." She stretched and yawned. "By the way, William has fixed a pot luck buffet, if you want some breakfast. It was really quite good."

Catherine replied. "We had breakfast about an hour and a half ago." Then Catherine reached up to caress Vincent's cheek. "I'm helping Vincent practice for when he has to read to the babies."

Jenny giggled as she sat in another chair. "Oh, please don't stop reading on my account."

Vincent just Harrumphed and continued reading. Jenny got comfortable and listened. Being read to by Vincent was a treat, not to be passed up. About a half hour later Paul and Nancy wandered into the library.

Catherine looked up with her most mischievous grin. "My, My, Don't you two look like the cats that ate the canary." And giggled.

Jenny broke up laughing, Nancy turned red and giggled, Paul grinned sheepishly, and Vincent just shook his head.

Paul finally spoke. "Catherine, Vincent, we both want to thank you for letting us use that place last night. It was the most magical night of our life and I think it did so much for our relationship. It helped Nancy and I reconnect. Sometimes it gets a little stale and needs to be shook up a bit. Anyway, thanks."

Jenny asked, "Have you been to the dining chamber for breakfast?"

Paul replied. "No need. when we got up this morning, we found a full breakfast tray just outside our door." His gaze swept the room looking at each of them suspiciously.

They all looked at each other curiously then Catherine suggested, "It must have been Father's doing. He knew you were staying there."

They were invited to sit in while Vincent continued to read aloud. They accepted and Paul sat down while Nancy decided to occupy his lap also. To Catherine, they looked very much like when they had been a pair of young lovers in college.

Thirty minutes later Father wandered in. "My, this is a cozy group."

Catherine spoke up. "Father, come in and join us. We're reading from Brigit's book."

Father answered. "Don't mind if I do." And joined the group.

Jenny offered to sit in Fathers lap to even out the arrangement but was turned down to much kidding and laughter. The reading lasted well into the afternoon. Finally they all went to William's kitchen for a late lunch then they went up to the brownstone.

That evening Jenny, Catherine and Nancy went out to a fine restaurant for dinner while Vincent went Below to help the clean-up crew in the great hall. Paul stayed behind with Jacob and played him another game of chess.

Paul and Nancy spent a second night in the honeymoon chamber. Catherine, Vincent and Jenny also spent that night below. Late the next morning they all headed down to the waterfall lake for a picnic lunch. A few of the tunnel residents had also come down to the lake that afternoon and it turned into the underground equivalent of a beach party.

Late that afternoon everyone finally headed for their own homes. Catherine and Vincent spent that evening decorating their Christmas tree. Afterwards they lay on the rug by the fireplace and watched the lights twinkle on the tree while Christmas music played on the stereo. They were still there when they woke up the next morning.

~ BB ~

It had been almost two months since Winterfest and there could now be no doubt about Catherine's pregnancy to anyone who saw her. As her pregnancy advanced she tended to spend less time in the tunnels and more time Above. She went out as little as possible to avoid gossip and reporters. Though she didn't go out much she did keep busy preparing the new babies room. Cullen and Mouse had begun working on a way to conceal the nursery in case the babies looked like Vincent.

A lot of the tunnel residents came up to see her, knowing that it was more difficult now for her to do a lot of walking and climbing. Jamie came up several times a week and often helped Catherine deal with things that her pregnancy made difficult.

Naomi had also become a regular visitor, spending more time in the brownstone than in the tunnels. She had understood that Catherine was carrying two babies inside her and was fascinated by the whole thing. Since she had come to think of Catherine and Vincent as her substitute parents, which had been made clear last Fathers Day when she gave Vincent that giant sunflower, she had asked them if she would be the new babies' big sister.

Catherine felt her emotions welling up inside her as well as inside Vincent, and told her that of course she would be the twins big sister. That meant that as the more experienced one, she was expected to show them the ropes as they grew up. After that Naomi would brag to anyone that would listen that she was going to be a big sister. Since everyone below knew how Naomi had lost her family and how she felt about Vincent, they just nodded indulgently.

What nobody, except Vincent, knew was that, since the confirmation of the death of Naomi's father, Catherine had been contemplating the possibility of adoption and that for the last two months, she had been talking to James at the FBI about arranging a legal adoption of Naomi.

James was working on arranging it under the table through the reorganized witness protection program. That would give Naomi a new life and, at the same time, clear up the one last nagging detail of the old government corruption case.

~ BB ~

Catherine still tried to get Below when she felt up to it and had been on one of her, increasingly rare, trips. She had spent most of the day wandering around talking to people and she was pretty worn out when she went to bed that night.

Catherine woke up in the middle of the night, unsure what had awakened her. Slowly she became aware of a damp stickiness beneath her. When she turned on the light and looked under the sheets she was startled to see blood. Before she could do anything else Vincent was instantly awake. Alerted by her sharp pang of _worry_.

Vincent looked at her. "Catherine, What is it."

Catherine quietly pointed to the blood on the sheets. "Better call Peter." She didn't feel any pain but she couldn't help the worry that arose in her.

At the sight of the blood Vincent felt a surge of the old fears and fought hard to keep it under control. Catherine clearly felt his _fear_ over their link and touched his arm. "I'm okay, Vincent, no need to worry quite yet." Her calm quiet demeanor and lack of any pain or panic in her emotions went a long way to easing his fears.

Vincent grabbed the phone and dialed the number he had committed to memory.

"Peter, this is Vincent, we just woke up and Catherine is bleeding." . . .

"No, she seems Okay otherwise." . . .

"Okay." . . .

"See you then." . . .

He hung up the phone and turned to Catherine. "Peter said he would be here in about twenty five minutes."

While they waited Vincent began pacing. Catherine was reminded of a lion in a cage. She could feel Vincent fighting to keep his _fears_ under control and it worried her. Finally she got him to help her change the sheets on the bed.

By the time Peter arrived Catherine had gotten herself cleaned up and put on clean clothes. Peter gave her a quick examination and listened to the babies' heartbeats. "The bleeding has stopped, and the babies don't appear to be in distress." Vincent relaxed a bit at Peter's reassurance. "I would however like to take you to the office and do an ultrasound."

Vincent insisted on carrying Catherine downstairs to the front door. Though her inner independence rebelled against this, she allowed it because she could tell that it reduced his own _anxiety_. Peter took her out, loaded her into his car and drove her over to his office. Catherine felt so clandestine, sneaking into the back entrance to the darkened office building and then she felt her own sense of amusement bubbling up within her at the whole thing.

Peter spent several minutes with the ultrasound machine concentrating very hard on image on the screen. The longer he studied the screen so intently, the more concerned Catherine became. Catherine was soon having a difficult time controlling her anxiety during his extended examination. After a while he relaxed, then he smiled and turned up the volume to let Catherine hear the babies' heartbeats. Catherine felt her heart leap with joy as she listened to that beautiful sound. Then he shut down his equipment and quickly cleaned her off.

The look on Peter's face was much more relaxed now as he began to explain. "Everything's going to be Ok Cathy. You have what is called a partially detached placenta." he told her. "It's not a serious problem right now and currently only one of the babies is involved." Peter smiled at her as he helped her off the examination table. "I don't think you need to worry just yet." Then he patted her hand. "When we get back to your place, I'll talk to both of you together about what this means and what to do about it."

When Peter got her home he lent her his arm and helped her up the front steps . He followed her inside to be greeted by an anxious Vincent.

First Peter explained to Vincent what he had discovered during the ultrasound exam. "She's in no danger right now," He reassured Vincent. "But I should warn you that there is a small possibility that you could lose the baby if the placenta becomes completely detached and we are unable to get to it in time, but that is pretty unlikely. Catherine, you should stay in bed as much as possible until delivery to avoid any chance of problems. And call me, immediately, if there is any more bleeding." He smiled at them. "The good news is that otherwise both of the babies appear to be perfectly healthy. They are both far enough along in their development that there should be little or no problems if they have to be delivered a little bit early."

As he got ready to leave he smiled at them. "Just take it easy for the next month and everything should be Okay. But, like I said, call me if you start bleeding again. You have my pager number if you need it. Oh, and tomorrow I will bring a few things over just in case we do have to deliver early." Then he left.

~ BB ~

The reporter, Thomas Johnson, received a call from an informant that Catherine Chandler had received a visit from an elderly man in the middle of the night and after a half hour had left with that man. Thomas had been trying to keep tabs on her after he found out that she had gone on LOA two months ago. He was pretty sure that she was up to something really big and he thought he knew what it was. If he was right, it could be a huge story.

Thomas went to her brownstone. While there he saw a car pull up to her front door. Catherine got out and was helped back into her place by a distinguished older man. There was no doubt about it, she definitely appeared to be pregnant. When the man left, Thomas followed him and saw him enter the office of Dr. Peter Alcott. He thought about it for a while and decided that his assumptions may have been correct. There could only be one reason why she was being so secretive.

This development would definitely bear watching. If he was right, this story could be huge. It would rock the city and cement his reputation right up there with the greats, like Woodward and Bernstein. He had missed his chance for the big exclusive once when Catherine Chandler, Joe Maxwell and Diana Bennett, had blown the lid off of that massive government corruption scandal, a year ago last May. Though he had won an award for his articles about the big spy scandal a little over a year and a half ago he had again missed his chance at an exclusive. This time he had the chance to break the big story. And he didn't want to blow it.

He had to be very cautious. If he broke the story too soon or his facts were wrong, it could be disastrous. Thomas had carefully built his reputation on integrity and reliability and he was not about to jeopardize it. A story like this could blow up in his face and destroy his reputation, if he didn't handle it correctly.

~ o ~

Later that night as they lay in bed, Vincent suddenly sat up and gazed down at her with a surprised look on his face.

Catherine could sense his _surprise_ over their link as well as see the look of wonder on his face. "Vincent, what is it?"

Vincent continued gazing down at her, that look of wonder lighting his face in a way that made her heart glow. "Catherine, I can sense them."

"What?" Catherine asked, not quite sure she had heard right.

"Our children, I can feel them, It's more than just a presence like I've been feeling. I can sense emotions. It's like a warm contentment." He reached out and touched her belly gently pressing in. "They can feel that and I feel their reaction to my touch." He grinned at her. "I'm not quite sure but I think that one is a boy and the other is a girl."

~ BB ~

Two weeks later Peter came over to check up on Catherine and pronounced both her and the babies healthy and the pregnancy on track, moving along normally. He also told her that she could get up and move around some if she was careful and had someone with her at all times.

The next morning as Vincent was downstairs fixing breakfast, he was hit by a sudden flash of _frustration_ followed quickly by a surge of _anger_. Concerned at what could have upset Catherine so, he hurried up the stairs. As he reached the third floor landing, he heard some rather colorful language wafting out of the bedroom door.

Cautiously he entered the room. Catherine was red faced and glaring. She was sitting on the end of the bed and she looked more or less like she had swallowed a beach ball. Catherine's sense of humor had diminished in inverse proportion to her girth. Lately the smallest annoyance could set off tidal wave mood swings.

Sitting down beside her, Vincent asked her. "Catherine, are you alright?"

She glared down at the shoe she was holding in her hand. "#&!# shoes!"

Vincent was surprised. "Catherine? I never knew you knew such language." He struggled to keep a straight face.

She burst into tears. Gathering her against him, Vincent tried to comfort her. "Tell me what's wrong. How could shoes get you so upset."

"It's not the shoes!" She threw the shoe at the floor. "It's my feet!"

"Your feet?" Looking down at her bare feet, he studied them. There was the slight swelling at the ankles that normally came with pregnancy but he could see nothing wrong. "Did the shoes hurt your feet?"

"No!" she snapped.

Vincent was completely adrift. "Then what's wrong?"

Sighing into his chest, she explained. "I wanted to go Below for a little while to visit Jamie and Father when I ran into a snag."

Vincent knew he would regret it, but he had to ask. "What?"

"**I can't reach my feet!**" She wailed as she began crying into his chest.

Vincent put his arms around her and began gently rocking her while working hard at not laughing.

Catherine beat on his chest with a moan of frustration.

Slowly as her emotional storm began to ebb, Vincent kissed the top of her head. "Let me see if I can help."

With exaggerated courtliness, Vincent knelt down and put her shoes on for her. The absurdity of both the situation and his actions made her laugh and suddenly the storm was over.

~ BB ~

The following week Peter had an extremely busy schedule, so Jacob and Jamie had been coming by to check on Catherine's progress. Vincent was Below teaching a literature class to the tunnel kids. Catherine was sitting on the bed while Jacob was examining her when her water broke.

"Oh, my!" Catherine exclaimed. "I'm leaking."

Jacob called out. "Jamie, the babies are going to be coming soon. Go down and fetch Mary, Rosa and Vincent." Then he mumbled to himself. "Gotta call Peter."

Catherine handed him the phone. She had already dialed Peter's number.

"Hello Peter this is Jacob." . . .

"Yes, Catherine's water just broke." . . .

"No." . . .

"Yes." . . .

"Okay, I have already sent for Mary, Rosa and Vincent." . . .

"See you as soon as you get here."

Jacob hung up the phone. "He should be here in a little under an hour. We've still got plenty of time yet."

While they waited Jacob helped Catherine change the sheets then he double checked the medical equipment Peter had left there in case of an emergency. Peter arrived about forty-five minutes later and examined Catherine.

Thirty minutes later Jamie returned with Mary, Rosa, Vincent, Rebecca and Naomi in tow. It seemed that when she told Vincent that the babies were coming, Naomi had insisted that she was their big sister and had to be there. Rebecca had come along, officially, to watch Naomi, privately, because she wouldn't miss this for the world. As a result class was dismissed early.

After a careful examination, Peter announced his conclusions. "It should be a few hours still. I have to get back to the hospital." He faced Father. "Jacob call me when the contractions start getting close or if there are any problems." He faced the two experienced midwives. "Mary, Rosa you both know what to do." He turned to face his patient. "Catherine, it wouldn't hurt to get up and walk around a bit. It might even speed things up a little." He kneeled down before Naomi who had just barged into the room closely followed by Rebecca. "Naomi, You are to keep an eye on Vincent. Make sure he doesn't pass out from the excitement. I'll see you all in a little while." Then he stood up and left.

Naomi went straight over to Vincent and grabbed his hand. "Doctor Peter told me to take care of you." This produced general smiles throughout the bedroom.

An hour later the front doorbell rang. Jamie went downstairs to see who it was. Three minutes later she came up with Jenny in tow.

Jenny grinned at Catherine, while taking in the large compliment of people present. "I just had this sudden feeling that I should be here." She waved her hand at the room full of excited friends. "Is something of interest happening?"

Catherine chuckled. "Jenny, sometimes you're just plain scary."

~ o ~

After two and a half hours of labor Catherine was exhausted. Vincent was also feeling the stress both for Catherine and because of his own fears. What if something went wrong. What if they looked like him. Would she still accept them. Despite her reassurances there was still that tiny knot of doubt in the back of his mind that he couldn't quite get rid of. Naomi was picking up on Vincent's distress and doing her best to try to make him feel better. At one point she resorted to telling a string of common childish jokes which did lighten his mood somewhat.

Then the contractions began coming regularly and everybody swung into action. Rebecca and Jamie took Naomi into the library while Jacob called Peter to tell him that it was time.

~ o ~

The contractions were coming very close together now and Peter had returned. Vincent was in the bed behind Catherine. She was cradled by his body, her head and back resting along his chest, her arms were lying along his thighs, his knees were pulled up alongside hers. The next contraction came hard and fast, and Vincent leaned them forward to meet it, pulling her knees far back towards their sides. As he held her he was sending soothing waves of love through their link.

"It's time, Catherine. Push!" Peter directed.

Her strength seemed to have disappeared entirely during the strong contractions of the last hour. She fell back limply against Vincent, sweat pouring off her body. "I can't."

"You can, Catherine. Push" Peter commanded.

Suddenly she felt an incredible surge of power through their link, a strength filled her that stunned and amazed her with its fierce power. She gripped his knees tightly and pressed back against his chest, pushing with all her might. Suddenly the pressure gave way and she gasped in surprise.

"I can see it's head" reported Peter.

Again they pushed together, his power giving her strength. Then it was over.

Over the sound of a strong crying, Peter announced. "It's a boy." The crying quickly subsided as Jenny took him.

Jenny was smiling fit to split her face. "Oh Cathy, he's too perfect for words." She announced as she showed the newborn infant to Vincent and Catherine.

There could be no doubt that this was Vincent's son. He displayed all the same leonine features as Vincent except that his surprisingly thick fur was closer to Catherine's reddish brown hair in color. His eyes were also the same emerald green as Catherine's.

Catherine smiled her eyes beginning to tear up with her joy. "Oh, Vincent, he's perfect." She got her most mischievous grin. "And he's got your nose." The waves of pure _joy_ coming from Catherine beat against Vincent like waves against the rocks. Vincent could not ignore Catherine's feelings about this child. A fearful tightness that he had not realized before was there, melted away in the warmth of her reaction to this child's appearance. In fact the whole room was filled with _affection_ and _acceptance_ of his newborn son.

Then another wave of contractions hit. "Here we go again." Catherine remarked through gritted teeth.

Jenny handed the boy to Rosa who with Mary began taking care of all the usual newborn preparations.

"Push Catherine. Push" Peter Urged

She didn't know how she could do it, then she felt again the incredible surge of power through her link with Vincent. She gripped his knees tightly and again she pushed like before. This time it happened almost too fast for her to realize it was over.

Peter announced over the sound of a new crying. "It's a girl, Cathy, and she is as perfect as her brother."

Jenny relieved Jacob of his latest burden and held the newborn out for Catherine and Vincent to see. She looked a lot like Catherine but she had Vincent's deep blue eyes and no hair at all. Jenny crooned. "Isn't she lovely. She's got your nose, Cathy, but she's got Vincent's eyes. Don't know what her hair color is going to be though."

Vincent and Catherine both laughed as they admired their daughter. Then there was a flurry of activity as the afterbirth came.

After taking care of the few medical necessities that Catherine required, Peter and Jacob checked both babies out thoroughly. The two doctors pronounced both babies to be perfectly healthy. Jenny and Rosa took the two babies while Catherine and Vincent got out of the bed. Vincent carried Catherine to the big easy chair by the fireplace where he sat down with Catherine in his lap. After handing the babies back to the new parents, Mary, Jenny and Rosa changed the bed and generally cleaned up the bedroom. While they were bonding with their new children, Peter and Jacob packed up all the unused medical gear.

Catherine held both babies in her arms while Vincent held Catherine in his. "Oh Vincent, thank-you for these beautiful children." She looked up into his eyes. "I love you Vincent."

Vincent gave her a kiss. "Catherine you have given me a gift beyond price." And he kissed her again.

Jacob paused for a moment to gaze over at the new family in the large easy chair, a lump rising in his throat and a tear forming in the corner of his eye. For thirty years he had raised and loved his most unusual adopted son with no hope that he could ever have any kind of normal happy life. Then this incredible woman had entered his life and one after another she had made each one of those impossibilities happen for Vincent. Shaking his head Jacob wiped the wayward tears from his eyes and turned to finish packing up the medical equipment.

Peter had caught Jacob's actions and smiled to himself. For those same thirty years he had watched two people that were very dear to him grow up, despairing that neither of them would be able to find the happiness that they both deserved. Then they had found each other and now their lives had melded together into this perfect family. They had both found their happiness in each other. Peter turned back to his equipment, wiping the tear that had formed in his eyes as well.

Mary, Rosa and Jenny all kept glancing at the happy new family with suspiciously bright eyes. Each of them with their own uniquely close connection with Catherine and Vincent.

Mary and Rosa brought in the twin cradles that Cullen had begun crafting in secret the day Catherine's pregnancy had been announced. Once the bedroom had been cleaned up and the cradles set up they headed downstairs to the second floor with Jacob. Mary and Rosa were planning to stay in the guest bedrooms for the first week to look after the babies and the new parents. Peter and Jenny took the medical equipment down to Peter's car that was parked behind the Brownstone. Then they both went home.

Over their bond Catherine and Vincent were awash in a swirl of joy and love that was almost as intense as when they made love. And most astonishing of all was that they could both faintly sense the infants.

After the babies had their first feeding they were put into their cribs then Vincent and Catherine went to bed. Mary and Rosa took turns looking after the twins that night so that Catherine and Vincent got a full nights sleep

Paul and Nancy both came by the next day to check up on everyone and to see the babies. They were both fascinated by the differences as well as the similarities between the children and their parents.

"Cathy, they are both too adorable for words." Nancy gushed.

"They are incredible." Paul added. "What are their names?"

"You will have to wait 'til the naming ceremony, like everyone else, to find out." Catherine replied with a grin.

"Naming ceremony?" Paul asked, confused.

Catherine explained to them about the tunnel custom of a naming ceremony. Jacob had been particularly pleased that this public naming custom was going to be observed by Vincent and Catherine.

"You are both invited to the naming ceremony." Vincent added after the explanation. "We both want you to be there."

Paul and Nancy glanced at each other then he answered. "We would be honored to attend."

~ BB ~

A week later, Jenny, Paul and Nancy met at the brownstone as planned. They had all been invited to the naming ceremony and were anxious to witness this unique event. Paul had taken a day of vacation in order to attend. Devin had arrived in town the night before and was already there when they arrived.

Catherine ran up stairs and a minute later she an Vincent came down. Catherine was carrying the boy and Vincent was carrying the girl. Both were obviously ready to burst with pride. Paul, remembering the trick from last Winterfest, triggered the hidden door. Together, they all headed down to the tunnels.

~ o ~

The birth of Vincent and Catherine's children had become so important to everyone that nearly the whole community had wanted to be present for the naming. So the ceremony was being held in the Great Winterfest Hall.

Jacob addressed the gathering. "It has been said that the child is the meaning of this life. Today we celebrate the child, this new life that has been brought into our world." Father's eyes touched everyone in the hall, finally resting upon Catherine and Vincent and their babies. Catherine held the baby boy cuddled close to her chest and Vincent's arms cradled the baby girl. "We welcome these children with love, that they may be able to love. We welcome these children with gifts, that they may learn generosity. And last, but not least, we welcome these children with a name. Catherine, Vincent?"

Vincent handed the girl to Jenny then He and Catherine stepped forward. Father managed to maintain his eager curiosity fairly well, all things considered, but knowing grins were exchanged about the hall nonetheless. They all knew that he had been on pins and needles all week. Vincent looked down at Catherine, and they both gazed upon the cherished face of their son, his emerald eyes shining back up at them solemnly, as if he knew of the great event now taking place.

Finally Catherine spoke. "First off we've named our son for his grandfather, so that he may be reminded always of his heritage of strength, patience, and wisdom. We've named our son for his grandfather so that all of us may be reminded of the precious continuity of life."

A thoughtful, grave smile eased across Peter's face and small nods of satisfaction were quickly evident around the room, those sentiments, ones the tunnel community held dear to their hearts. Devin sensed another meaning to Catherine's words. He stood beside the happy family, his inclusion in that group was plain for all to see. His brow lifted in a smiling question for Vincent's eyes alone. They exchanged a long glance and the knowledge was easily transferred through the kind of silent code that all close brothers shared.

Catherine's eyes rose to meet Jacob's, and she found a quiet understanding there in his smile. Her eyes remained locked to his as Vincent continued the ceremony.

"We have named our son . . . Jacob."

A shocked gasp broke out, as delight spread from face to face. Vincent and Catherine heard the happy exclamations, but their eyes were glued to Father. His face suddenly pale then bright red, as a look of stunned surprise spread across it.

"Father?" Devin and Vincent spoke simultaneously and moved quickly to either side to give support. Jacob's gaze lifted and swung between his two sons. He tried to speak, but he was too choked up with emotion. Tears filled his eyes as he enveloped both of them in a strong bear hug. He released them and reached out to pull Catherine and his grandson into his embrace.

When Jacob finally released them, Catherine handed little Jacob to Nancy and took the girl from Jenny. Then she and Vincent returned to their place in front of all their friends.

Now Vincent spoke. "The name for our daughter comes from deep within my heart. For most of my life this name has had special meaning for me though I know not where it comes from nor why it has so much significance to me." As she watched them she noticed both Father and Devin silently mouthing the name they had chosen.

Now Catherine took over. "Since it was also the name of one of my closest friends and her grandmother, I also found it to be wholly appropriate."

Vincent looked down at his baby daughter. "We've named our daughter Jennifer."

Jenny and Nancy both joined in the family hug. "That ceremony was so beautiful." Nancy smiled wiping at her eyes.

Catherine leaned close to Nancy and in a low voice remarked. "It's already been decided. Our next daughter will be named Nancy." She grinned at Nancy's surprised reaction.

Soon everyone was taking their turn congratulating the new parents and checking out the new babies.

~ BB ~

Catherine came up from below, her mind occupied with memories of last weeks naming ceremony, and saw the blinking light on the phone indicating some messages.

The first message was from Joe. "Hi Cathy, Joe here I just wanted you to know, that reporter has been talking to several of my people, asking a lot of questions about you. You be careful. We're looking forward to seeing you when you come back."

The second message was from Peter. "It's Peter. That young reporter, Thomas Johnson, was trying to get information about you from some of my staff. Watch yourself Cathy."

The third message was from Jenny. "Hey Cathy, call me as soon as you can."

She called Jenny first.

"Hi Jenny, Its Cathy, what did you want to talk to me about?" . . .

"Sure come on over." . . .

"See you soon."

A half hour later Jenny arrived Just as Catherine got off the phone with Peter. "Hi Jenny, Come on in. Are you going to tell me that Thomas Johnson has been asking questions about me?"

Jenny looked at her startled. "Now which of us is psychic? That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about and I didn't want anyone overhearing. That reporter talked to some of the people in my office asking about the relationship between you and me. Then he started questioning me about your personal life. I pretty much told him that we were friends from college and that your personal life was none of his business. The basic thrust of his questions made me think he wanted to know if you had a new baby." She smiled. "I told him to ask you."

Catherine nodded. "He also talked to Peter's staff. It seems that he was trying to find out from them if my pregnancy was real. All he got from them was that I had not been to his office anytime recently and they didn't know anything about any pregnancy. His staff is extremely loyal to him so even if they knew anything they wouldn't tell."

Jenny looked puzzled. "So what is it he's after?"

Catherine frowned. "I don't know but I'm going to confront him tomorrow."

The rest of the evening was spent exchanging small talk and playing with the babies. Peter Alcott arrived about the same time Vincent got home.

Vincent was a little bit worried about the reporter. "What if he does expose your pregnancy?"

"There's nothing to worry about." Catherine smiled. "I talked to Peter and he has a suggestion."

Peter smiled at them both. "I have already managed to make arrangements to unobtrusively sneak birth certificates into the records for both children giving them legal status if needed. No one will even know that the birth certificates exist unless or until it becomes necessary. Also it will make things easier if little Jennifer decides to pursue a life above and if she is anything like her mother, that will be highly likely."

Catherine continued. "That way if news of my pregnancy comes out. I look them in the eye and say. 'Of course I had a little baby girl and what the hell's business is it of yours anyway.' Then I'll tell them to leave my family the hell alone. After that they should soon get tired of no news and lose interest in me."

Peter continued. "All I need to know is how you want the birth certificates to read as far as parent's names and the Children's names."

Vincent suggested. "It sounds feasible. I think Jennifer Chandler for the girl and list the father as unknown. That keeps me out of the picture. But what about you Catherine Will this be a problem for you?"

Catherine displayed her most mischievous grin suggesting. "I'll tell them the father was an anonymous donor at the sperm bank. I simply requested the most genetically perfect donor they had then refuse to identify the name of the sperm bank. It will drive them crazy 'til they finally give up out of frustration. Personally I like Jacob Wells for the boy and list the parents as Vincent and Catherine Wells. That will give me additional legal ammunition if I ever have to get either of you out of trouble."

"Sounds fine to me." Vincent nodded. "I think Father will be pleased with the choices. I also think we should consider those their official last names anyway."

Catherine smiled at Vincent. "I like it." She thought a second. "I think it makes a great rule of thumb. All of our children that look like me are Chandler, those that look like you are Wells."

Peter thought a moment then spoke up. "If it's legal ammunition you want, I might suggest Chandler-Wells as Jacob's last name. That will thoroughly cement your relation both to Jacob and to Vincent."

"That makes sense to me." Catherine replied as she smiled over at Vincent. "All our children will carry the last name Chandler-Wells but in the case of those that take after my side of the family, the Wells part will remain un-mentioned on the Birth certificates."

Jenny and Peter also agreed that the choices were perfect. After exchanging a few more pleasantries Peter and Jenny left and Vincent and Catherine went to bed. For a long while Vincent lay there and kept mulling over Catherine's assumption that there would be more children to be named. He also marveled over the fact that their physical appearance seemed to mean nothing more to her than how it would effect their last names. It all seemed so incredible to him.

~ BB ~

The next morning Catherine dropped the babies off with Rosa and headed to the newspaper office. She had decided to try and get that reporter off of her friends backs. Once there she marched right up to Thomas Johnson's desk. "I would appreciate it if you would quit bothering my friends and respect my privacy."

After taking a couple of seconds to recover from the shock of her sudden appearance he responded. "This country has freedom of the press and . . ."

Catherine Jumped in. "Why can't you just leave me alone. Who do you think you are, prying into my private life?"

Thomas fired back. "You're a public figure and the people want to know. For instance did you have a child last month."

At this point Catherine became angry. "I'm sure people would find the most intimate details of you private life interesting too, but that doesn't give them the right to pry. My public life may be fair game but my private life and my friends and my family are not, so please leave me alone. Harassing, people in the district attorney's office could get you into more trouble than your lawyers can handle so take my advice and keep out of my private life." Then she stormed out.

By the time she got home she had calmed down.

Vincent was waiting. "What happened? I could feel your anger."

Catherine looked at him, her voice full of contrition. "Oh, hell, I got mad and then I got stupid. That reporter was so smug and sure of himself and he started off spouting that same old crap I used to get from the tabloids when I was younger. Then I got angry and said some things that I shouldn't have. I probably made him even more determined to discover what has been going on. I'm sorry, I blew it. It's just that old 'right to know' line he used, irritated me so."

Vincent put his arms around her. "That's Okay, It just means that little Jennifer may have to make her public debut a little earlier than we had expected. And with the birth certificate Peter arranged for her there should be no problems."

~ BB ~

Late the next evening, after making sure the twins were snuggly asleep in their cribs and Jamie was fully instructed, Catherine headed out into Central Park where she would meet up with Vincent for a short jog through the park. She had been doing this every night after dark since shortly after the babies were born. She was determined to get her figure back as soon as possible.

Thomas Johnson went by Catherine's home, right around dusk, to ask her some questions. One of his informant's had reported seeing her go jogging in the park each evening after dark, which in itself seemed a bit foolish considering the danger, and that she no longer appeared pregnant. He was determined to get to the bottom of what was going on and he suspected that things would be coming to a head very soon. He had exited his cab near her place. He had only been there for a couple of minutes when he spotted her exiting her home and go jogging into the park. He took out after her staying back to see if she might be meeting someone. After a few minutes, he finally decided that she was simply jogging and decided this was his chance to talk to her.

Catherine had been in the park for a few minutes yet Vincent had still not joined her and she could sense _wariness_ from him over the link. There must be others nearby in the park. She didn't sense any fear from him so she wasn't worried about it, just a bit annoyed that he had to keep his distance. Then she became aware of someone running up on her from behind. She glanced back only to see that reporter Thomas Johnson approaching.

As Thomas caught up to her she gave him a withering look. "What do you want now." Catherine sped up. If he wanted to follow her he was going to have to work at it.

"I just wanted to know about the case you're currently working on." He panted.

Catherine came to a sudden stop. "What?"

He continued. "First I get a tip that you are taking an extended leave of absence. The length of time you take is the same as a person might take for maternity leave. Then you are spotted looking very pregnant. When I look into it, I can find no records having anything to do with any pregnancy. Next my editor gets a call from the District Attorneys office telling him that I could find myself behind an 'interfering with a police investigation' charge. Finally I get an angry visit from you telling me to back off." He had been ticking off his facts. "I know that you specialize in child abuse cases. So the logical conclusion is that you are working undercover on some kind of baby selling case."

For a moment Catherine was stunned. Of all the things she had expected this was not it. Finally she started laughing. The reporter just stood there puzzled by her reaction. Finally she got herself under control. "You are so far off base. Go home." She took off jogging again and after a moment's lag he took off after her. At this point she felt a strong shot of _worry_ from Vincent. She started glancing around looking for the danger that Vincent must be sensing. "Go home Mr. Johnson, There's nothing here for you." She threw back over her shoulder at him as he caught up to her.

Suddenly four rough looking young men stepped out of the brush in front of Catherine. As she stopped five more gang members came up behind them. Catherine and the reporter found themselves both cornered by the gang. Five of the gang members pulled knives. Some of the gang members were looking about nervously.

One of them spoke up. "I don't know about this."

A second one teased. "Wimp, you're just worried about those rumors of the Central Park Monster."

A third one responded. "I heard about what happened to the Silks. What if it shows up here."

The leader spoke up. "Shut up we'll just do what we came here for then get out." He pointed to Catherine. "Get her first."

As the gang moved in, the reporter shifted position as he tried to protect Catherine and was slashed across the arm and chest. Suddenly Catherine whirled into action. Turning on the one that had slashed the reporter, she kicked him in the groin while punching the one standing next to him with her left hand that held one of her jogging weights. A split second later she threw the weight in her right hand and hit the one giving the orders in the head. At that moment two things happened simultaneously. Diana stepped up with her gun out yelling "**POLICE – FREEZE**," and Vincent came in from the other direction roaring, and threw two of the gang members roughly aside. The remaining gang members broke and ran off except the three that Catherine injured and the two that Vincent had flung aside. They were too injured to run away.

Diana shook her head as she approached, putting away her gun. "I don't know why I even bother. They **never** freeze." Then turned to Vincent. "Backup is already coming. You'd better get out of here before they arrive."

Catherine also spoke. "We're fine here. Now go."

Thomas Johnson just stood there staring at the fearsome apparition standing calmly before him as his whole world view seemed to get upended. As the creature turned and ran away into the park, the reporter in him finally recovered. "What the hell was that?"

Diana addressed Thomas. "A good Samaritan." Then she turned to Catherine. "Cathy, you and your stalker had better go home. I'll get a statement from you in the morning." Then as she turned back to the reporter. "Oh shit your bleeding." She quickly checked his wounds. "They're nasty looking but they're not too serious. Cathy can you take care of him while I deal with this trash?" She indicated the disabled gang members.

"Sure, I think I can handle that." Catherine responded.

"Get the first aid kit from my car. It's the silver Toyota over there." Diana tossed Catherine her keys.

When Catherine got back with the first-aid kit, she dragged Thomas over to a nearby bench. "Come on nuisance, you're my responsibility for now." She cleaned up the blood and treated the cuts with anti-biotic. Then she cut a length of tape into several butterfly shaped pieces and used them to close the wounds. Finally she covered them with gauze and taped it into place.

At that point the backup arrived along with two ambulances. Catherine and Diana both stated that a large man in a hooded cloak had appeared from inside the park, disrupting the attempted mugging. He then ran back into the park before they could talk to him. Thomas realized that he had no choice but to corroborate their reports or end up sounding insane. When it was discovered that he didn't have a car, Catherine said that he could call for a cab at her place. Diana said that she would come by tomorrow morning to get an official statement from Catherine.

Thomas followed Catherine back to her home. He noticed that she covertly rang the doorbell twice before unlocking the front door. Once inside, she went straight to the phone and called for a taxi. While she was on the phone Thomas thought about how well Catherine had handled herself in the park. It seemed that every time he crossed paths with her, he was very impressed by her capabilities. As he looked around he noticed signs that someone had been in this room until very recently.

Then his thoughts went back to what had just happened in the park. The Creature of Central Park was real? Catherine and that female cop, Diana Bennett, had both acted like they knew that creature. Then he thought about what he had seen. That creature was more than just a monster. There was intelligence and compassion in that creatures eyes despite his very frightening appearance. He had obviously been coming to their rescue. Finally he had to ask. "What was that creature in the park."

Catherine's response was not very informative. "All you need to know is that he is some good Samaritan that just saved your life and my life. For everyone's sake, anything else is best forgotten." She refused to say any more about it.

Finally the cab arrived. As she was pushing him out the door, he just caught the sound of a baby crying upstairs but it stopped almost immediately. Then she closed the door behind him. As he mulled this over in the cab he realized now that the pregnancy story was not an undercover case as he had suspected, and therefore a dead end.

But what about that creature in the park? He had seen it. It was real.

~ o ~

As soon as the door closed Vincent came down the stairs carrying little Jacob. "Now what?"

Catherine looked at him. "This is so screwy. He didn't want to do a story on my pregnancy. He thought I was working under cover on a baby selling case. But he did see you and I don't know where that will lead. I think we can count on Diana to back us up as far as your non-existence is concerned." She shook her head. "What I want to know is how did Diana end up there?"

Vincent shrugged his shoulders. "She was probably either following that reporter or she was following that gang. You can ask her tomorrow."

Catherine took little Jacob from him and gazed down into his face. "Oh, Vincent. What if he turns into another Spirco?"

Vincent took her into his arms. "We will deal with that if or when it happens. 'Til then we will continue to live our lives as best as we can."

~ BB ~

Late the next morning Diane came by to get Catherine's statement. She was amused to see Vincent coming down the stairs.

Catherine then asked. "By the way how did you end up there last night."

Diana replied. "Actually, I was there because I've been trailing those gang members for several days. We got word that they were going to force some new members to mug some random people to prove themselves." She smiled "They sure bit off more than they expected when they attacked you. I didn't realize you were so good at taking care of yourself. I thought the stories about you were exaggerated until I saw you in action last night. Fortunately you took out the leader and that's who I was really after. Anyway I just need to get an official statement from you. We'll just use the same line, about Vincent, as we did last night."

After getting an official statement from Catherine, Diana was startled again by the undeniable sound of a baby crying coming from somewhere upstairs. Vincent sensed a feeling of _amused resignation_ from Catherine. Then a second baby joined in.

Catherine looked at Vincent then back to Diana. "Well, come on, as long as you're here you might as well meet the rest of the family." Then Catherine and Vincent lead her upstairs to the nursery to see the children.

When they reached the nursery, Vincent picked up baby Jennifer who stopped crying and sat down in a large rocking chair. As soon as Jennifer stopped crying, the other one also quit crying. Catherine picked up little Jacob who was already going back to sleep.

Diana couldn't decide which was more incongruous: The sight of this fearsome looking creature rocking and soothing the little baby girl; Or the sight of this petite elegant woman cradling and cooing to this un-human looking baby creature. Finally she just gave up and laughed. "Yup, you two have definitely made it work out together." Then she shook her head. "Cathy, I can't for the life of me figure out how a media magnet like you has managed to keep all this secret for so long."

Catherine chuckled. "It's a combination of factors really. The situation is so unbelievable to begin with that no one would ever consider the possibility of what we have. A little bit of good luck, and a lot of friends who care enough to help protect the secret of Vincent's existence. And of course some careful maneuvering on my part to help keep the secret. Speaking of which, we may have to get this nursery soundproofed if we want to continue keeping them secret." A cloud seemed to pass across Catherine's face. "I just hope that reporter doesn't mess everything up."

Diana responded. "He has always been a very careful and reliable reporter. He never prints anything without hard evidence to back it up and he didn't get anything useful last night, but I would be very careful around him."

~ BB ~

The next day at lunch Joe dropped by to see how Catherine was doing. Catherine had been warming the twin's milk bottles when she ran over and opened the door "Joe what are you doing here." She said in surprise. In truth she was actually delighted to see him.

"I was just in the area and decided to see how you were doing. I have to be in court in two hours so I don't have much time. Also I know you're supposed to be coming back to work next month and I thought I would see if you needed any more time." He smiled at her.

"Won't you come in for a minute? I have some fresh ice tea if you want some." Catherine stepped back.

"Thank-you, I think I can take enough time for that." He responded as she closed the door and led him into the dining room.

She was much slimmer than when she had left, she had more spring to her step and an over all healthy glow. And did she have a fuller bust? Health spa or a baby? He was sure she wouldn't go in for that kind of plastic surgery. And there was definitely a look of contentment on her face, though there was also a hint of wariness mixed in. He was also remembering her look when he had made that last little crack about maternity leave the last day before her leave started. No doubt about it. A baby.

As she handed him the glass of tea she commented. "I am definitely coming back as expected in four weeks." She smiled. "Life is just too boring without you to irritate."

At that moment he heard the unmistakable sound of a baby crying.

"Oh, damn." She exclaimed and ran into the kitchen. She came back out carrying two baby bottles and called out. "Be right back." As she ran up the stairs.

Well that would definitely confirm his original suspicions, Joe thought. A few minutes later she came back down carrying a small bundle on one arm and holding the bottle up to it with the other hand. She came over so Joe could see the tiny baby she was holding.

"Joe, I would like to introduce you to Jennifer Chandler." Catherine had a very contented smile on her face. "I guess my secret is out." She looked up at Joe. "I'm trying to keep her out of the public eye as much as possible."

Joe smiled down at the child in her arms. "I can totally understand that. Don't worry I'll keep your secret . . . and congratulations." He made a few funny faces at the infant. "She definitely favors you."

Catherine laughed as she looked back down. "Yes she does doesn't she." Then she looked back at Joe. "But you already suspected this didn't you?"

Joe smiled back. "I wouldn't be as good an attorney if I didn't notice the little details." He looked at his watch. "I have to go. It was nice seeing you." He wiggled a finger at the infant. "And you too little Jennifer."

A small decorative lamp by the stair flickered a couple of times. Catherine went over and pushed the switch on it twice. "Darn thing never has worked right." She quipped and walked him to the door. "See you in four weeks, Joe." As she let him out.

As he stepped into the cab that he had kept waiting, a thought occurred to him. She took two baby bottles upstairs.

After Joe left Catherine opened the secret door to let Jamie in.

~ o ~

That same day Thomas spent doing research on stories about the Central Park Monster. His own newspaper had nothing except a two line mention in an article about the urban legends of New York City. He did have more success looking through old tabloids. All of the reports though were second, third and fourth hand except one. He found one first hand account from four and a half years ago, where an old shut-in woman saw two men shoot and carry away a monster in Central Park. Unfortunately the woman had died two years ago. It was like UFO's or Big Foot - lots of data but none of it reliable or useable.

Next he started looking up information on attacks in the park. The only useful thing he found was that over the last fourteen years, crimes in Central Park had dropped dramatically, about the same time the stories started circulating about the Central Park Creature.

He came across his old report from five years ago about Catherine being mugged. It stated that Catherine Chandler, wealthy heiress and lawyer had been dumped in Central Park after being beaten, stabbed and mutilated by three small time hoods. The report told that an unknown person found her in the park and patched her up. Once she was strong enough her rescuer had brought her to her home. The report went on to say that the physicians had agreed that based on the severity of her injuries she probably would not have survived if her rescuer had tried to take her to the nearest hospital. Who ever had found and treated her had probably saved her life.

He found the articles about the subway killings of four and a half years ago but decided that they were not directly related except that Catherine had been the one who tracked down the killer. Apparently Jason Walker was just a copy cat using the stories of the creature as cover for his own activities. Although Jason Walker had escaped, plenty of evidence was recovered from his establishment and three of his accomplices were arrested.

He thought about what one of those gang members, that had attacked them last night, had said and dug out all the reports on a gang called the Silks. From the reports it was obvious that they were a particularly violent gang. The statements from the two girls that were the only surviving members of the gang, were contradictory and obviously self-serving. It was also clear that if the creature had been involved it had to have been self defense.

He also found that in the last four years there has been a suspicious correlation between stories of Catherine Chandler and tales of the Central Park Creature's appearances. He remembered how last year he had begun to suspect that Catherine Candler had a mysterious guardian that showed up when she got into trouble. At that time he had wondered if it was someone in the police department. Then he had seen reports on her that suggested that she could take care of herself. After the first time he had personally witnessed her in action against that armed man in that book store, he could believe it.

That evening he read the official report of the previous night's incident. All the report said was that a large man showed up out of nowhere, disrupted the gangs attack and then left the scene before he could be identified. Here he had what could be the story of the century, but there was nothing he could do about it without jeopardizing his career. With both Detective Bennett and Catherine Chandler covering for that creature, he doubted he would ever get that close to it again.

In going through police records that morning he found an interesting twenty year old report about an incident at the Central Park Carousel. It took him a couple of hours but he was able to track down the retired cop who had made the report and went to the retirement home to get his account of what had happened.

The old man paused to think. "I was on regular mounted park patrol late that night when I heard the sound of the carousel music and went to investigate." He closed his eyes trying to dredge up the image from his memory. "When I got there I found that a bunch of homeless kids had apparently broken into the park carousal and were riding it. As I rode up they all ran out of the carousel shelter and scattered. I had cornered one of the kids that had a large bandage on his left cheek." His brow furrowed as he worked his way through the next part. "Another kid that had on some kind of lion mask roared, spooking my horse and then the one with the bandage threw a rock and knocked me off my horse. By the time I got back up they had all got away. That's all there is to it."

The reporter looked at him quizzically "Roared?"

"Well that's what it sounded like." The old man answered defensively.

The reporter thanked the old man, then he decided that he had to go back and talk to Catherine again the next day. Maybe if he worked at it he could shake some more information loose from her. Then he remembered a description that he got from a source last Halloween.

~ BB ~

Two days after the gang attack, the reporter again confronted Catherine while she was jogging. "You again? What is it you want now?"

The reporter responded . "I want to ask you about that creature we encountered the other night."

Catherine shook her head showing her best innocent face. "What could you be talking about? I know of no creature."

"I think you do. He was with you at the publishing house Halloween party less than a year ago." He paused to catch his breath. "Also, contrary to the suspiciously vague descriptions I found in the old police reports, . . . I think the 'person' that found you in the park . . . after you were attacked five years ago . . . and the large unknown person that helped . . . rescue you, Joe Maxwell and Detective Bennett . . . from that estate fire a year and a half ago . . . were all that same creature that helped us the other night." He watched her face gauging her reactions. "I've found reports of him going back twenty years."

"And yet in all that time nobody has been able to find him. That kind of sounds a lot like the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot to me. Many a reporter's future has been destroyed by turning in stories with a lot more substance than this one has." Catherine stopped jogging, turned and faced him. "I like you and I like your work. You are a very good and very fair reporter and you cover many very important issues. Also I do admit that I like the nice things you've written about me, so I really don't want to see you damage your career over this. It's just not worth it." Now her voice took on an almost pleading quality. "Please, for everyone's sake, including yours and mine, it would be better if you just dropped it."

He stared at her for a minute. "Okay, Ms Chandler, I guess you win this round." He looked down at the notebook in his hand, snapped it closed and then looked her in the eyes with a hint of a smile lurking in his face. "But I saw what I saw and I'm keeping my eyes and ears open."

He watched her as she continued to jog out of sight then he turned and headed back to where he had left his car. She was right about one thing; this story was not one that he could risk printing without some kind of hard proof to back it up. But it would certainly be worth keeping an eye open to see if anything else developed. For now though, he would just put his notes on the Central Park Creature away, and work on whatever other stories he was assigned.

At least now he understood why Catherine Candler's mysterious guardian never had revealed himself. As he walked along he thought about what he had seen and what he had learned in his research. He thought about what might happen if he did write his story and was believed. The consequences could be devastating both for that creature and for Catherine Chandler. Among all the reports there were only a few that involved death and in each of those all the evidence pointed to self defense or defense of Miss Chandler. But that would be of no help to that creature once his existence was exposed. An honest principled reporter knew that sometimes the right to live one's life in peace trumped the public right to know, especially when that knowledge could destroy innocent lives. Thomas liked to think that he was one of that very rare breed. He had even worked very hard to build just such a reputation for himself. Also he admired Miss Chandler far too much to do anything like that to her. Then another thought occurred to him. Catherine Chandler was being just as secretive about her child. He shook his head. "_Naw, it couldn't be. . . . Could it?_" At that moment, he thought that he would give his right arm to see what that child looked like.

~ BB ~

It had been four weeks since her encounter with the reporter and it was time for Catherine to return to work. As much as she loved spending time with Vincent and the babies, she was ready to get back to the office. When she walked into the office the first thing she heard was Joe hollering. "Radcliffe, Get in here."

She greeted Joe as she walked in. "Good morning, Joe."

Joe glared up at her. "What's good about it!" He plopped a large six inch thick stack of folders in front of her. "Get to work."

A little puzzled, she picked up the stack and headed to her desk. When she got there, her desk was covered with flowers. As she stood there staring at the flowers she smiled and shook her head in amazement. Finally she started looking at the stack of folders. The first two were full of cards and letters welcoming her back and telling her how much she had been missed. The rest of the folders were full of blank paper. Catherine smiled to herself as she sat down. Joe had certainly pulled one over on her this time. As she was looking through the cards and letters she began to feel like something was amiss. When she finally looked up she noticed that there was no one else in the office. Finally she got up from her desk as her curiosity got the better of her, and started looking around. Catherine finally found everyone in the largest conference room.

Joe greeted her. "Well it's about time you showed up. We thought you were going to miss the whole party."

The party lasted almost two hours as everyone in the office welcomed her back or told her how much she was missed. One of the clerks told Catherine that at least twice a week Joe could be heard complaining about how much he wished he had her there for some case or other.

After the party was over and Catherine had moved the flowers to free up some desk space, Joe came over with another folder. "Well, I've got your first case here. It's just your type of thing, an abandoned baby case." Joe gave her a big smile. "Welcome back Radcliffe, we missed you around here." Joe stood up, leaned over towards her and quietly asked. "By the way, why did you take two baby bottles upstairs when I was there?" Without waiting for a reply Joe turned away, a big grin on his face and as he walked back to his office he couldn't help speculating about her mysterious guy and the second baby bottle. Anyway it would add some interesting spice to their little 'Mystery of Catherine' game. He was just glad to have her back.

**_The End_**

_( rev 130529 )_

* * *

**NOTE:** _As often happens in the creative world two people will come up with the same basic concept at the same time. It happens all the time in movies and in books. That happened to me when I was posting this story. Just after I posted the second chapter, I got an e-mail from another author that figured out that I was headed in the same direction as her. Since her story was much longer and more complex than mine I decided to slow down the posting of my chapters to give her more time. Although we both deal with similar concepts our approaches as well as the tone and narrative are very different. I have not read all of her story but I did read a couple of chapters and they were very good. Now that my story is through I am looking forward to reading her story from the beginning. If you enjoyed my story then I would recommend her story to you as well (It's always interesting to to compare stories with similar themes). Her story can also be found on this site. The title is_ **Expecting The Unexpected** _by_ actingbug1. _Check it out._

'_**Beauty and the Beast'**__ and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given._


End file.
